


Rokushiki no Naruto

by LordOfTheWeed



Category: Naruto, One Piece
Genre: Action, Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, Crossover, F/M, Friendship, Revenge, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-26
Updated: 2015-12-13
Packaged: 2018-02-10 12:20:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 99,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2024937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordOfTheWeed/pseuds/LordOfTheWeed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It might have been fate, a chance meeting, or his unbelievable luck. Regardless of what it was, Naruto came into possession of a scroll containing one of the best kept secrets from another world, Rokushiki. The most feared and dangerous martial arts style in the world of One Piece. Will this change in the course of destiny make Naruto's journey easier or harder?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginning of a Legend

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The following statement applies to the every chapter of this story. I don't own "Naruto", "Naruto Shippūden" or "One Piece". If I did the elemental continent would be a secluded large island in the One Piece world, not controlled by the World Government, and be under Whitebeard's protection. "Naruto" and "Naruto Shippūden" are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, Shueisha Inc, Viz Media, Madman Entertainment, Manga Entertainment, Aniplex, Studio Pierrot, Animax and TV Tokyo. "One Piece" belongs to Eiichirō Oda, Shueisha Inc, Viz Media, Gollancz Manga, Madman Entertainment, Manga Entertainment, FUNimation, Fuji TV and Toei Animation. Writing is simply a hobby of mine, I'm doing it just for fun and gain no profit from sharing this work of fiction. Please support the official release.
> 
> Important Note: You may have already seen this still ongoing story on fanfiction.net and if you want to make sure that I'm not a plagiarist visit my profile page over there "fanfiction.net/u/4474201/" for confirmation. I created this account here on AO3 mainly as a backup in case of another purge so my followers can find me again should such a disaster repeat itself and I'm one of the unlucky victims, but of course I welcome any new reader who stumbled upon my work. Any praise, criticism, or suggestions you can offer will be appreciated. Let me give you a brief overview on what to expect. Naruto will become semi-godlike in terms of power as the story progresses and have an enormous sense of pride. He will also be capable of using Haki and follows the philosophy of Rikudō Sennin's elder son that force and strength are the key to peace, not love. Lastly, English is my second language, so occasionally you might cringe at some grammar mistakes here and there.
> 
> That being said, I hope you enjoy the exciting journey of Rokushiki no Naruto!

 

**Rokushiki no Naruto**

_Rokushiki (Six Powers)_

_1\. Shigan (Finger Pistol): "A bullet isn't needed to pierce the human body.", Kaku_   
_2\. Geppō (Moonwalk): "One can also kick the air to float...", Blueno_   
_3\. Rankyaku (Storm Leg): "It is possible to be fast enough to cause slicing winds...", Kalifa_   
_4\. Kami-e (Paper Art): "But there's no art to being hit...", Blueno_   
_5\. Soru (Shave): "With leg strength explosive enough to seemingly cause one's body to "disappear"...", Blueno_   
_6\. Tekkai (Iron Mass): "We've trained our bodies such that we can turn them into "Iron Carapaces" if we so choose...", Blueno_   
_7\. Rokuōgan (Six King Pistol): "Let me show you... the most powerful attack available to those with full mastery of Rokushiki.", Lucci_

**Chapter 1 - Beginning of a Legend**

_Ring Ring Ring Ring..._

Blue eyes fluttered open, but quickly narrowed in annoyance. The previously sleeping boy released a moan of discomfort and shifted a couple of times in his bed until he couldn't take it anymore. With the aid of his sensitive ears and still blurry vision he spotted the source of the annoying sound and smashed his palm in one swift movement onto a button on top of his alarm clock, successfully silencing the device that spoiled his wonderful dream about swimming in a giant bowl of delicious ramen.

Pulling himself up into a sitting position he yawned loudly, stretched his body, and kicked off his blanket before he took off his nightcap and jumped out of his bed.

The boy wore a pyjama, was comparably short for his age, had bright spiky blond hair, tan skin, magnificent cerulean blue eyes, and three whisker-like marks on each cheek, giving him a feline-like appearance. His name was Naruto Uzumaki, self-proclaimed future Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato.

He moved sleepily across the room towards a calendar hanging on the wall. A look at it revealed that today was a special day in Konoha, october tenth.

Exactly ten years ago his greatest hero, the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze aka  _Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō (Konoha's Yellow Flash)_ , a shinobi whose mere presence on a battlefield could send entire armies of even the bravest ninja fleeing, fought and killed the mighty  _Kyūbi no Yōko (Nine-Tailed Demon Fox)_ , sacrificing his own life to save others, a truly honorable death.

This demon fox was by far the strongest of the nine  _Bijū_ , an ancient creature possessing such tremendous power that it was regarded as a force of nature itself, feared across the whole continent. According to the stories of the lucky ones who survived an encounter with this behemoth it could easily crush a mountain and even cause a tsunami with just a swing from one of its nine tails.

On that fateful night the Kyūbi appeared out of nowhere right in the middle of the village and began to destroy everything in its sight, killing many citizens, ninja and civilians alike, leaving a large part of the village in ruins.

The shinobi of Konoha had put up fierce resistance to protect their home and loved ones, yet, despite being respected for their prowess and teamwork throughout the elemental nations, they were nothing but a raft caught in a hurricane against the sheer might of the Kyūbi and in spite of all their heroic efforts they couldn't even lay a scratch on it. Even the Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi himself, a man who had earned himself the title  _Shinobi no Kami (G_ _od of Shinobi)_ , only managed to chase it out of the village. It was the Yondaime Hokage who ultimately put an end to the carnage.

Today the citizens of Konoha will mourn for the dead and their fallen hero as well as celebrate their continuing existence with a festival, but october tenth was also Naruto's birthday. Remembering that caused a beaming smile to appear on the boy's face. His joyful expression lasted only for a brief moment though and his smile faltered.

Except for three people everyone in the village is going to treat him with much more hostility than usual. Normally, the villagers glare at him with hatred and disgust visible in their cold and uncaring eyes, call him names like  _demon spawn_  and throw him out of stores, even if he had enough money to pay for the items, or simply ignore him.

However, as soon as the festival starts everyone who spots him would look at him with outright murderous intent and either spit or throw food at him. In very rare cases some even went so far as to attack him, an innocent and defenseless child. Though, those foolish or drunk enough who tried that were quickly overwhelmed and arrested by ANBU, the Hokage's masked elite ninja force, and unceremoniously dragged to the T&I department where they vanished, never seen or heard from again. Such unpleasant experiences led him to stay away from the crowd during the festivities.

In his early years the boy had toyed with the idea of running away from Konoha in order to escape this cruel treatment and travel around the world, going on a huge adventure. Naruto was definitely not the sharpest kunai in the pouch, but even he knew that leaving was impossible. The blonde couldn't climb the giant and intimidating wall surrounding the village or simply march through one of the gates leading outside, no matter how good he was at moving unnoticed and he didn't discover any other paths leading in and out of the village yet. Furthermore, he was sure that the ANBU would find him pretty quickly should he successfully manage to flee and drag him forcefully back.

Apart from facing overwhelming odds Naruto had two more reasons to stay. Firstly, he was not someone who ran away from problems like a coward. He vowed to himself that one day the villagers would recognize him and what better way to achieve this goal than becoming Hokage.

When he walked next to the aged leader through the busy streets of Konoha he noticed that no one would dare to look at him with bad intentions or whisper behind his back, at least until they were out of view, or just ignore him. Having observed that the Hokage's presence alone caused such a drastic change in the villager's behaviour towards him he concluded the people would surely acknowledge him if he himself became the Hokage. It was settled, Naruto Uzumaki would one day take the old man's hat!

Thinking about the kind Hokage, his grandfather figure, brought a small smile back on his face. Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Ichiraku family, consisting of Teuchi and his daughter Ayame, his sister figure, who helped her father running his ramen stand, were the second reason why he didn't attempt to escape or in the most desperate moment of his short life didn't try to end it. His very first memories were of Hiruzen smiling at him when no other did, playing with him and teaching him how to read and write at the orphanage, or how he used to call this place,  _hell hole_.

Early in his life he had noticed his rapid healing factor. Deep cuts and bruises would heal in a couple of minutes up to an hour or two, whereas it took a day or longer for the other children. To his misfortune his  _caretakers_  observed this as well. Needless to say seeing Naruto's injuries heal unnaturally quick only enforced their believe that the boy was a demon in human disguise and every now and then  _accidents_  occurred.

They often violently grabbed him by his arms with enough force to almost crack his bones, if he violated a rule, stuck their legs out so he would stumble, shoved him against a wall when passing by, or spilled hot tea over him. Of course all that happened  _accidentally_. But the devious smirks on their faces and empty or sarcastic apologies told him otherwise.

Moreover, they told all the other children to stay away from him and would punish all severely who associated with him, making him an outcast. Lastly, they even forbade him to take and read books from the small library the complex had, thus, despite Hiruzen's best efforts, his progress in reading and writing was fairly slow.

In this place he also learned a valuable lesson. That crying won't solve your problems. He had wailed himself to sleep countless of times and realized it didn't change anything.

Naruto could have told the Hokage what happened to him during one of his visits but he had no proof, because his body showed no evidence of his physical abuse. Besides, he didn't want to bother the old man with his problems, instead he wanted to enjoy the rare times they spent together and told him that he had been taken good care of.

Apparently fed up with their unsuccessful attempts of breaking him to such an extend that it would drive him to commit suicide the orphanage employees kicked him out in hope that the little blonde would starve to death while the Hokage was on a diplomatic mission to Sunagakure, knowing no one would be willing to sell the loathed  _demon brat_  food. How long can a six-year old survive on his own anyway? A foolproof plan, ruined by two factors.

First was Naruto's survival instinct. To quench his thirst he initially drank water from the rivers, however, when he felt sick after doing that several times the boy instead drank rainwater and the morning dew. Later on Naruto learned that he had to first filter the unclean water and boil it afterwards to safely consume it. Moreover, Naruto was able to catch the local wildlife with very simple but well thought out traps, find wild growing fruits, and steal enough food to survive on his own. Hunting regularly honed his skill in constructing traps along with his stealth to the level of experienced jōnin.

Second was the Ichiraku family. When they saw him in his pitiful state they had offered him free bowls of ramen out of kindness. At first he thought it was some sort of trick and that the food had to be poisoned since Naruto made bad experiences in trusting adults, but his hunger that day was too grand and those suspicions luckily turned out to be false. On the contrary, he found people who actually cared for him and introduced him to the wonderful world of ramen. His bond with them was cemented after they stood up for him and continued to serve him free ramen although other customers threatened to never visit their stand again as long as he ate there. At this moment he cried his first tears of joy while being comforted by Ayame. They would always occupy a special place in his heart.

Eventually, the Hokage returned from his mission and stumbled upon Naruto outside of the orphanage and noticed the state his clothes were in and how dirty he was. Suspicious, he had brought him into his office and demanded an explanation to which Naruto complied and told him what happened. Needless to say Hiruzen Sarutobi was at a loss for words. Assuring Naruto that he would take care of everything now he had sent him to the waiting room within the Hokage Tower and ordered two ANBU to guard him.

Once Naruto had left the room he couldn't contain his killing intent anymore, which he had supressed in front of the innocent boy. It forced the four hidden ANBU bodyguards to their knees, proving that he indeed earned the titles  _Kage_  and  _Shinobi no Kami_. After calming himself he called Ibiki, notorious head of  _Konohagakure Jōhōbu (Konoha's Intelligence Division)_ , and ordered him to arrest the orphanage employees, question them, and if found guilty of child abuse to  _dispose_  of them. Afterwards, Hiruzen began to take measures for Naruto's future and safety.

Till Naruto graduates at least three handpicked ANBU would secretly follow and protect him from harm. Furthermore, he would use the  _ **Tōmegane no Jutsu** **(Telescope Technique)**_  to check on him on a regular basis, a technique which enables the user to observe people through a special manufactured crystal ball. The range of this jutsu is only limited by the chakra supplied and chakra sensitive people would feel that they are being watched, making it not suitable to spy on trained ninja.

In addition, Hiruzen offered the Ichiraku family financial support to compensate for their loss of customers as a sign of his gratitude and organized an apartment for Naruto to live in. The boy would receive enough money every month to cover his living expenses and still be able save some.

In said apartment, Naruto noticed that he had lost himself in his thoughts and therefore lost the track of time, so he took a look at his alarm clock.

'Jiji will arrive in two and a half hours and take me to Ichiraku's. Maybe he will bring me a present too. That would be great!', he thought in excitement at the prospect of possibly receiving a gift and spending time with his precious people. Naruto's beaming smile returned fully and he began his morning routine with renewed enthusiasm.

He took an ice-cold shower, a circumstance that didn't bother him for he had long since grown accustomed to it because the hot water supply always  _malfunctioned_ , did some morning exercises, ate merely a single slice of toast for breakfast to save his appetite, took care of his plants, which helped him to calm his hyperactive nature a bit, and finally changed into his usual outfit.

It consisted of a blue and white but mostly bright orange jumpsuit worn over a black shirt, a white swirl on its upper-left sleeve and a red one on the back, orange pants, blue sandals, and green goggles that would occupy his forehead until he receives a Konoha headband.

'Stupid academy', he pondered bitterly and shook his head. Jiji told him three years ago, before his first day as an official academy student began, that he would learn everything necessary to become a splendid ninja and could spend time with children his own age without their parents dragging them away from him.

Instead of learning cool and devastating ninjutsu or how to rescue a princess like Naruto imagined he had to listen to monotonous spoken and boring lessons about history, math, cryptology, tactics, geography, the basics of human anatomy, chakra and genjutsu theory as well as memorize countless of shinobi rules and the twelve hand seals.

Most of these lessons he either slept through, was daydreaming about his future heroic adventures or simply skipped them entirely. It wasn't his fault that the teachers always used long and complex words he didn't understand to explain everything. Naruto wasn't an idiot as everyone for some reason seemed to believe, far from it. He just needed simplified explanations. The first months he actually tried to ask questions, but was either ignored or laughed at. Iruka Umino, the only teacher who didn't let his feelings interfere with his job, answered his questions, though no matter how hard he tried to understand the man it was like he spoke a different language while teaching.

Additionally, there was also the completely useless  _ **Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique)**_  that for some reason seemed impossible for him to perform, no matter how hard he tried, and he always put everything he could muster into that technique. All his efforts always resulted in clones that looked like they were dying from a deadly and extremely painful disease.

The only jutsu he truly exceeded in out of the three they were being taught was the  _ **Henge _ **no Jutsu**_  (Transformation Technique)**_. Suddenly he smirked slyly, his eyes gaining a mischievous glint, and he chuckled inwardly 'Hehe I almost completed my greatest jutsu. I still need to research some certain anatomic aspects, but as soon as I have finished that I will beat the old man with it and take his hat, then everyone will bow before my greatness, dattebayo!'

Since Naruto started the academy he began to use his exceptional talent in stealth and trap construction to play pranks on his teachers to get attention and a good laugh. Seeing it work at the academy he unleashed a series of pranks upon the rest of village, resulting in his reputation as a troublemaker.

Moreover, there was nothing they could teach him about survival in the wilderness anymore since he had experienced it firsthand and the taijutsu lessons were frustrating. The exercises to increase his stamina, speed, and strength didn't even make him break a sweat, and the katas, which his teacher Mizuki showed him, felt very uncomfortable. Also, the blunt shuriken and kunai he received for training and target practice felt unnaturally heavy.

'Worst of all, in almost every spar I'm paired against  _Sasuke-teme_.', he thought angrily while balling his hands into fists.

If there was one person in the world Naruto utterly despised, it was Sasuke Uchiha or teme for short. Only thinking about him made his blood boil. That bastard gets everything Naruto had ever carved for served on a silver platter because of his name alone and doesn't seem to even want it! Respect, attention, and even the affection of  _his_ Sakura-chan, his crush, his green-eyed and pink-haired angel. On top of that Sasuke doesn't acknowledge him, calls him  _dope_  or  _nuisance_  and would humiliate him in front of the entire class by defeating him effortlessly in a few seconds.

'Just because his last name is  _Uchiha_  doesn't mean he can walk around as if he owns the damn place! To think that after finding out about what happened to his family I considered to befriend him. That arrogant bastard and his stuck up attitude make me want to punch him into the ground.', he thought furiously, but as much as he wished to do that and make Sasuke acknowledge him as his equal he couldn't.

It was hard to admit, but Naruto couldn't deny it. Sasuke was far more skilled than him. A prodigy, he heard the villagers call Sasuke and this Nenji  _(misspelling of his name is intentional)_  or something guy he caught only a glimpse of once at the schoolyard, who had these strange and creepy white eyes like that weird stuttering Hinata girl in his class.

The girls at the academy were constantly talking about them, aside from hair care and diet. The only exception was Hinata. She never or rarely spoke with the other girls, or anyone at all. He had saved her once from getting beaten up by bullies before a man with the same eyes as her dragged her away from him. Also, for some strange reason this girl seemed to suffer from constant fever when he was around her and followed him home sometimes, poorly masking her presence.

Apart from his rapid healing factor he also discovered that he had better developed senses than the majority of his age group. Naruto picked up her scent, heard her footsteps, or caught a glimpse of her sloppy and nervous movements in the corner of his eyes while she moved around in the bushes or tried to hide behind a tree. Every time he tried to face Hinata about that she would pass out after he merely spoke three words, a very strange girl in his opinion, yet he would like to befriend her, because she appeared nice and kind, but it seems as if she doesn't like talking to him, or talking in general.

Besides, he couldn't shake off this feeling that someone else was following him too. 'Hmmm... Whoever it is, that person is certainly doing a better job than Hinata. I just hope it's not one of those  _fanboys_  I heard about.', Naruto thought and shuddered, he doesn't swing that way.

The only students he hung around with frequently were Kiba Inuzuka and his puppy Akamaru, an inseparable duo, as well as Shikamaru Nara and Chōji Akimichi. He wouldn't go as far as to call them his friends though, but companions, who hang around with him while skipping the lessons as he did out of boredom, trying to kill time, and Kiba occasionally helped him out with a prank. That was the extend of the bond he shared with them.

Taking a look around he thought 'This place is surely mess. I still have 30 minutes left and should use the time to clean up.'

Now normally he wouldn't bother to clean his apartment but his Jiji's visit was an exception. Completing the task he waited patiently and was rewarded by a knock on his door. Opening it he saw the old man and quickly tackled him in a bone crushing hug.

"Jiji, you are finally here. I'm so happy to see you."

"Happy birthday, Naruto. I'm happy to see you too.", Hiruzen said while smiling and returning the hug.

The old man genuinely cared for him and he could talk to him about everything except for one topic that the Kage always seemed to avoid at all cost, namely his parents. After witnessing other children interact with their parents he wanted to know about his own. The only fact Jiji revealed to him was that this Kyūbi monster had killed them, looking visibly older when he answered. Nothing else, no names, relatives, pictures,  _nothing_.

About half a minute passed and both ended the hug. "Have you brought me a present?", Naruto asked, bouncing up and down in excitement, looking up at the Hokage with large and hopeful blue eyes.

Nodding and smiling Hiruzen reached into his robes and pulled out a box. Not even a second in his hand, faster than the Kage could blink, his hand was already empty and Naruto sat in the middle of the room, tearing apart the wrapping paper and throwing the pieces like confetti in the air.

'That boy. He might have inherited your looks, Minato-kun, but his personality without a doubt comes from Kushina.', Hiruzen mused nostalgically and chuckled at the sight before him.

Finished, Naruto opened the box and was wide-eyed. A set of actually  _sharp_  kunai and shuriken! Taking some of the items in his hands he immediately noticed they felt much lighter than the blunt ones he got from the academy teachers. They would start training with sharp projectiles in the coming semester. Only ninja could buy real equipment, hence all the clan heirs in his class and students with a ninja in the family had already practiced with sharp ones for years, something he thought was very unfair.

"Thank you so much, Jiji. I won't disappoint you. I will train hard with those and show them all what an awesome shinobi I am, dattebayo.", he announced with a wide smile, which Hiruzen returned.

"I'm glad you like my present, Naruto. Are you ready to go so we can celebrate your birthday?"

Putting the items back in the box, the boy stood up and replied cheerfully "You bet I am!"

With that being said Naruto took his beloved toad shaped wallet, the first present he had ever received, slid it into one of his pockets and marched out with Hiruzen at his side, heading for Ichiraku's Ramen Bar.

* * *

Once they reached their destination both were greeted by the heavenly scent of ramen and the kind owners of the stand, who congratulated the boy. They talked for what felt like hours and Naruto ate as much as his little stomach could fit.

"Ugh. I'm stuffed. Your ramen is the best, old man, dattebayo!", the blonde declared while patting his bulged stomach with his right hand.

"Hey! I'm not old... but tank you, Naruto. It's always a pleasure to hear such a compliment from our favourite customer.", Teuchi replied, smiling with his arms folded before his chest.

"Sigh. Naruto, it's getting late. I really have to go now and prepare for the... festival.", the Hokage had to be present at such an event. Hiruzen truly hated the ignorance of the villagers. Naruto should be the centre of the festival and seen as a hero, the crowd praising his name for holding the beast at bay like his father wished for, but instead he would be spit at for just being near it.

Naruto looked down from his stool, letting his bangs shadow his eyes, and a long depressing silence followed.

"I understand, Jiji. Thanks for the present again and for the meal. Bye Teuchi, Ayame-neechan, Jiji. See you all later.", he spoke in a sad tone, stood up, and left the stand to go home with his hands shoved in his pockets and a downcast look.

"Bye Naruto.", the adults said collectively. The three wanted to add  _'and have a nice day'_  but that would have only poured oil into the fire.

"Poor boy. Why can't they see the kind, sweet, and innocent boy he is and not the monster trapped within him.", Ayame remarked angrily at her adopted little brother's sadness.

"One day they will, I'm sure of it.", Hiruzen assured, paid for the meal he and Naruto had, and stood up to go.

"I hope so.", responded Teuchi with a sigh. Once Hiruzen was out of sight he leaned closer to his daughter and whispered "By the way, I don't look that old, now do I?"

He received a giggle and the comment "Well, certainly the  _Flames of Youth_  burn brightly within you."

...

That was not the answer he had hoped for.

* * *

Naruto groaned in frustration, bored out of his mind. Two hours had passed since he arrived back at his apartment and the festival already started. The boy had nothing to do and couldn't practice with his new set of kunai and shuriken inside.

'Hmm Maybe I should wander around a bit. That way I get at least some fresh air, but where should I go?', Naruto pondered and an idea came to his mind. Snapping his fingers he muttered "...That's it. If they won't let me participate I will go to the Hokage Monument and show the Yondaime my respect that way."

And so he left his apartment for his favourite spot in the village, the top of the Yondaime Hokage's head. Little did he know that his spot was already occupied.

* * *

Looking down from the Hokage Monument upon the village of Konoha was none other than Bartholomew Kuma. A true giant of a man, standing nearly 7 meters tall  _(22'6"/6,89m)_. No human in  _this_  world came even close to his intimidating size.

He was dressed in a black jacket with a white target cross at the front and several paw prints at the bottom of it, grey pants adorned with brown circles, brown boots, black gloves, and a grey hat decorated with two bear like ears. Furthermore, he carried a bible in his left hand.

What allowed him to stand there in the first place was the special power of the  _Nikyu Nikyu no Mi (Paw-Paw Fruit)_ , a devil fruit that once consumed grants the user paw pads that make someone capable of pushing  _anything_ , making him capable of pushing the dimensional barriers apart, an extremely difficult task, which required all of his concentration, and pushed the power of his devil fruit to its absolute limits.

The giant had already seen every notable place in his world and wanted to spend some time at a place where nobody would recognize him. He had found himself in a large forest outside the village where a dozen foolish bandits ambushed him. They were hesitant at first, probably intimidated by his size, but after one of them shouted ' _just a cheap genjutsu trick'_  they charged him head on. Kuma, having never traveled beyond the borders of his world before, was genuinely surprised to actually encounter humans, but more so by the fact that they spoke his language. Dealing with them in less than three seconds he left one barely alive and  _pushed_  the man's knowledge out of him, making him sort of brain-dead, and transferred it into himself, thus he learned how this world worked.

It's ruled by shinobi or sometimes also referred to as ninja, assassins for hire. The ninja world views the ideal shinobi as an emotionless tool, something he himself was in the process of becoming. He was turned into a cyborg by the most brilliant scientist of his world, Dr. Vegapunk, whose scientific knowledge was at least 500 years ahead of his world's current level of technology, and there was not much of his original body left. In a few weeks his transformation would be complete and he would die, becoming nothing more than a machine waiting to execute its next order.

Learning about Konoha he snuck into the village to take a look at it. He wasn't worried for his safety in the least. He's a  _Shichibukai,_  one of the  _Seven Warlords of the Sea_  and quite capable of defending himself, even in unknown lands and a passive scan didn't reveal any immediate danger. In fact, if he really wanted to he could flatten this entire village with a single attack.

Thanks to the data his sensors provided Kuma noticed a boy approaching his location with three pursuers not far behind him. They were fairly well hidden he had to admit. 'Probably bodyguards', he concluded.

As Naruto came near the Yondaime's head he stopped and was wide-eyed at the sight before him. 'Who... is... that? He's so... HUGE.' Childish curiosity getting the better of him he approached the man fast before the ANBU had any chance to intercept him. They had never before seen or heard of such a humongous man.

"Stay calm! The stranger may take Naruto hostage if we show ourselves now. Protect Naruto at all cost and don't underestimate the foreigner.", the purple-haired female ANBU member, her mask that of a cat with three red stripes, Yūgao Uzuki, instructed her two subordinates through the radio and gripped the handle of her katana tightly, ready to jump in as soon as the stranger would make any hostile movements towards Naruto. "If he could sneak in with the tight security measures during the festival, despite his size, he could be at S-rank level, so be careful and don't provoke him.", she added.

"Oi! Oi! Hello! My name is Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage of Konoha, nice to meet ya.", the energetic blond boy introduced himself proudly and a short moment in silence followed before the giant replied.

"Kuma, my name is Bartholomew Kuma. What is a little boy like you doing up here all  _alone_?", he responded, choosing not to expose the boy's hidden pursuers without taking his gaze from the village to look down at him.

If there was an easy way to provoke Naruto it was to call him little. His left eyebrow began to twitch and he shouted "I'm NOT little!" while swinging his arms wildly.

Ignoring his little outburst Kuma continued "Shouldn't you be down there with the others and celebrate as well?"

Now Naruto's fury was replaced by sadness. He could hear the people celebrating from afar. Looking down he responded "I'm not welcome there. If I go near the festival the villagers would throw things at me, spit at me, or sometimes even attack me. In their eyes I'm some sort of demon." His eyes teared up and a lone tear escaped each eye, which he quickly wiped away with his sleeve, ashamed that he had lost himself for a short moment.

Kuma turned to face Naruto, his footsteps echoed through the air. "If you were to go on a trip... where would you like to go?", Kuma questioned while slowly taking off his gloves, putting the ANBU on edge.

Dismissing the man's odd gesture Naruto answered "I don't wish to be anywhere else.", much to Kuma's surprise, whose eyes widened slightly.

Being confused Kuma asked incredulously "Don't you wish to leave this place that treats you so poorly? I can give you the opportunity to go wherever you wish."

Without hesitating a second Naruto replied "I won't leave my precious people behind. My dream is to become Hokage and then everybody is going to respect me, dattebayo.", he said with determination burning in his eyes.

After that statement Kuma put his gloves back in place. "Respect cannot be given, you must earn it...", Naruto's eyes widened at that, the blonde never saw it from this point of view. "Besides, a leader must be willing to do  _anything_  to protect those under his care. Could you sacrifice yourself for those who mistreated you,... who you hate."

"I d-don't ha...", Naruto began, trying to deny the truth.

"You can lie to me but not to yourself. You secretly hate them in a corner of your heart, don't you?", Kuma quickly interrupted him, silencing the boy, who just looked downwards in response.

"But that doesn't matter.", Naruto heard the large man say and his head snapped upwards. He gave the giant a confused look, not understanding what exactly Kuma meant. "Huh?"

"What really matters is, can you grow past that hatred? Show them that they are wrong about you. Could you sacrifice yourself for those who caused you such misery?", Kuma inquired, not expecting an immediate reply from the blonde, who fixed the ground again. However, this time his bangs shadowed his eyes.

A deafening silence followed during which the most painful memories of his short life flooded the boy's mind, causing his eyes to tear up again and occasionally flicker between blue and red, the abuse, the name calling, the hate-filled glares, the tears he shed from loneliness, cold, and hunger, and finally the one moment he shakily held a sharp splinter of glass against his throat while searching desperately for a reason to live, which he found to be his precious people Hiruzen, Teuchi, and Ayame.

He gritted his teeth in anger and balled his hands into fists. 'I hate them so much!' Can he really let it all go, just like that? Can he forgive them for the sake of his dream? 'If respect has to be earned... then even if I had lived a different life... I would still have to earn respect. Just like crying won't change anything, so won't holding onto my hate... Alright, I will let go of it this once. One day, instead of demon they are going to call me hero!'

After what felt like an eternity Naruto looked up directly into Kuma's eyes, noting they resembled Hinata's in a way, and replied with even more fire in his eyes than before.

"From now on my new dream is to  _earn_  their respect so they are going to  _make_  me their Hokage. Everyone who put me down will realize that he was wrong about me. I'm not a monster, I'm  _Naruto _Uzumaki__ , a man who will shake this world, remember that name, dattebayo!"

Kuma studied the boy's expression 'That look in his eyes... such strong ambition.' and came to a decision. He moved his large hand into his jacket. The ANBU almost jumped in, but stopped once they saw he just pulled out a scroll and handed it to Naruto. "With the help of this scroll you can fulfill this dream."

Naruto looked at the scroll, which was actually bigger than himself by a few inches. "But... But I don't want to use a shortcut on the road to fulfill my dream."

"That scroll will only guide you to the right path. The path itself you must walk on your own."

Naruto admired the scroll he held in his arms.

"My journey ends soon, but yours is about to start. We will not be seeing one another again... farewell."

"What do you... mean?", he could only blink. Where Kuma once stood was now nothing but air.

"What happened?! Where did he go?!", the three ANBU exclaimed in utter shock at the same time.

'I neither felt him build up chakra nor have I seen him use hand signs or move at all! Was that some type of kekkei genkai like the  ** _Jinton (Swift Release)_**? Regardless, I must inform Hokage-sama immediately.'

"You two, continue to watch over him. I'm going to report this event to Hokage-sama. He will know what to do.", Yūgao ordered through her radio, formed a ram seal, and used Konoha's version of the  ** _S_** ** _hunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)_**  to seemingly vanish in a swirl of leaves.

Composing himself Naruto walked back home, holding the scroll tightly. 'Wherever you came from, thank you for opening my eyes.' And so began the legend of a true warrior, who will become known throughout the entire world as  _Rokushiki no Naruto_ along with many other titles he will earn on his journey.


	2. Aftermath

**Chapter 2 - Aftermath**

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched his village celebrate the Yondaime Hokage's victory and sacrifice through one of the windows in his office. He was smoking his pipe with a content expression on his face, because he finally defeated today's stack of paper on his desk. 'Hehe Another victory for the  _Shinobi no Kami_.', he cheered in his mind. However, his joyful expression didn't last long.

It would have been a perfect day if only Naruto's sadness wouldn't have left this bitter taste in his mouth. The boy would have loved to spend his birthday together with him at the festival where young and old alike, dressed in colorful kimonos, laughed and enjoyed themselves, ate sweet delicacies, listened to musicians, and the children played games at the various stands like for instance Kingyo-sukui  _(Goldfish scooping)_. After he had left Naruto to his own devices he made a public appearance, held a speech about the  _Hi no Ishi (Will of Fire)_ , and shook the hands of several merchants, nobles, and clan heads before he retreated back to his office where he had to catch up with the work he had neglected in order to spend some time with Naruto.

The old Kage turned his gaze onto Minato's picture on the wall right next to his own, thinking 'Oh Minato-kun. If you were here and could see how the people of the village that you loved with all your heart spit on your last words and dare to celebrate you at the same time. What would you say?'

Prejudice against jinchūriki was not a new phenomenon or restricted to a certain area of the world. He cursed the fool who had spread the rumor that they are manifestations of the beasts trapped within them ages ago and the gullibility of the masses. To all who have decent knowledge about fūinjutsu this statement is outright ridiculous. Granted, a damaged or an amateurish applied seal could let the Bijū influence the host's mind, but a skilled sealmaster could fix that easily. It's a shame that since the Uzumaki clan's demise the number of proficient fūinjutsu masters dwindled to a handful.

He wondered if maybe the tyrannical reign of Yagura, Yondaime Mizukage and  _Jinchūriki of the Sanbi_ , also helped to enforce such beliefs. That young man appears to have gone insane and news about gruesome massacres of people possessing a kekkei genkai ordered by him, which the common folk recently named  _The Bloodline Purge_ , reach Konoha weekly. Or it simply seems to be the nature of man to fear the unknown.

The fact that Naruto doesn't even know why he's treated with such hostility must probably be the worst for the boy. At least, as far as he knew, the other jinchūriki are aware of their status, whereas Naruto, the boy's generation, and the rest of the world are left in the dark about it, but for good reasons.

Hiruzen had decreed a law to never mention Naruto's status to the blonde himself or the younger generation in order to let him experience a normal childhood, yet the older generation found ways around his law and managed to pass on their grudge, albeit to a much weaker extend, down to their children, telling them he's a monster that doesn't deserve to live and that they must avoid him or else he would  _corrupt_  them and other nonsense.

Should the outside world find out that Naruto is the  _Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Yōko_  the balance of power between the five great ninja villages that maintains the current period of peace this generation is blessed with would be threatened. Konoha is already regarded as the strongest shinobi village, even without an official jinchūriki. Jiraiya and his spy-network are doing all they can to prevent this information from leaving Konoha, which inside its own walls isn't the best kept secret and any decent spy could put two and two together.

In addition, the revelation of his heritage could be even more disastrous. Iwa  _feared_  Minato as much as a Bijū for crippling their once mighty forces and would be calling for Naruto's blood. Also, the Yondaime Raikage Ē respected Minato for his skill and speed. That impulsive man longs for power, believing that respect and strength mean everything in the ninja world, hence he would go to great lengths in order to obtain it as he has shown when he ordered to kidnap the Hyūga heiress, Hinata,  _during the signing of a_   _peace treaty_.

Back then Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri feared the rise of Uzushiogakure into a sixth great ninja village, joined forces, and started a preventive war against it to exterminate the Uzumaki blood from the face of the earth. They all might fear a rebirth of this once powerful clan, renown for their incredible longevity and life force due to their distant relation to the Senju, as well as their unrivaled skill in the art of fūinjutsu, here in Konoha, and could join forces again. He was glad that Naruto didn't share the trademark red hair of the Uzumaki, so they hopefully wouldn't connect his last name to the actual Uzumaki clan that easily. In conclusion, if all this information would be exposed war would be inevitable.

The chances of Konoha to win a war against those three with Suna as their ally are slim at best. He isn't getting younger and only a shadow of the ninja he once was. A Kage dying during a war is disastrous. On top of that Suna hasn't produced any  _notable_  shinobi in the years that followed Pakura's demise and currently suffers from an economic crisis due to the Wind Daimyō outsourcing missions to Konoha, thus making the village unable to finance a prolonged war or a campaign into enemy territory. The minor villages like Ame, Taki, or Kusa for instance are an unknown variable, but if they sided with the enemy Konoha would lose for sure.

Hiruzen was brought out of his dark musings by three knocks on his door. He sat down behind his desk and put his pipe aside.

"Come in", he ordered while resting his elbows on the desk and folding his hands in front of his chin. The four hidden ANBU bodyguards tensed. Entering and moving into the middle of the room was one of their fellow ANBU.

"I didn't expect you to return so early,  _Tenzō_. What have you found?"

Tenzō was just a codename the nameless ANBU prefered. He was the only one of six kidnapped infants who survived Orochimaru's injections with Hashirama Senju's DNA, making him able to use the famous  ** _Mokuton no Jutsu (Wood Release Techniques)_**. However, despite being a highly capable ninja, Tenzō's skill in  ** _Mokuton_**  was nowhere near Hashirama's level, who at one point in time was able to subdue  _all_  nine Bijū using it and distributed them among the other villages that formed shortly after the foundation of Konoha in order to balance the power between them, thus maintaining peace... sadly though that didn't work out as he had anticipated.

Luckily, Tenzō's survival was unknown to the traitorous snake, whom Hiruzen once viewed as a son, just like Naruto, and was unable to kill him while he had the chance, being indirectly responsible for the deaths of only Kami knows how many people. A mistake he indents to correct if given another opportunity.

"Hokage-sama, during our patrol me and my squad stumbled upon one unconscious and eleven dead bandits, who seemed to have been killed in a... very unusual way.", Tenzō stated in a calm voice.

"Leave us alone.", Hiruzen ordered his bodyguards, who left the room discretely but stayed in the vicinity. He adopted a serious look and activated a privacy seal created by Hashirama's wife, Mito Uzumaki, and later upgraded by Minato and Kushina.

"Proceed"

"All except one have head-sized holes in their torsos with four smaller ones above it. It looks like something pierced right through them like a knife through butter, but the most worrying thing is that even the trees 200 meters behind them have been pierced too."

To penetrate trees Hashirama created requires very powerful techniques. Hiruzen also held the title of  _Purofessā (_ _The Professor)_ , due to his mastery of all forms of shinobi combat as well as his vast knowledge on jutsu and even he couldn't think of one that could cause the described damage. Though, he suspected a wind-based jutsu.

"What about the unconscious one?"

"It seems he was hit by a weakened version of the attack. He's completely beaten up, but still breathing. We brought him to the ANBU headquarters. However, he appears to be in a comatose state and has not yet reacted to any of our efforts to wake him up.", Tenzō responded.

"Is there something else?"

"Yes, giant footprints. They look human-shaped and probably belong to some sort of summon."  _(There are giant human-like summons. For example Tayuya's Doki)_

'This needs to be investigated.', Hiruzen groaned inwardly. Investigations involved  _a lot_  of paperwork.

"Thank you, you can go now."

Shortly after his dismissal someone knocked on the door and Hiruzen ordered the person to enter. It was another ANBU, her identity quickly revealed due to her long purple hair. As Tenzō and Yūgao passed each other they acknowledged the other with a nod. She and Tenzō are currently the two most skilled ANBU he had under his command. Yūgao's kenjutsu is unrivaled within the village. Only Itachi was able to beat her in a kenjutsu only match, but even he needed the help of his  ** _Sharingan_**  and at that time the Uchiha prodigy was just thirteen years old.

This day was getting even worse. "Sigh Who attacked him this time?", he asked once Tenzō closed the door behind him, having activated the privacy seals again, already suspecting Naruto has gotten himself into trouble again. Yūgao would only report to him earlier than scheduled if she had to arrest people who tried to harm the blonde.

"Nobody tried to attack him this time, Hokage-sama. Naruto met a suspicious stranger on top of the Hokage Monument, who, after he conversed with Naruto, gave him a scroll and disappeared off the face of the earth."

Hiruzen scowled and leaked a tiny amount of his killing intent. "No one simply vanishes into thin air and why didn't your squad stop Naruto if the stranger was suspicious?! You are responsible for his safety!"

"He was approaching him too fast and we...", she was glad her mask hid her shame right now "...didn't scout ahead."

Most ANBU simply saw guarding Naruto as their job and would never even lift a finger to rescue him outside their working hours. Initially Yūgao thought the same way, but after spending so many years guarding him she saw that he was not the monster the majority of the village believes him to be, just an innocent boy who craves for nothing more than recognition and love.

"I never expected such a rookie mistake from someone with your flawless records, Neko.", he scolded. "This will have consequences for you and your squad." After calming himself and taking a deep breath he continued "Tell me about the stranger. What exactly made him suspicious?"

"He was about seven meters tall and infiltrated the village undetected.", she responded. A man of this enormous size would have been reported by ANBU or the gate guards through the radio.

Hiruzen eyebrows rose up in astonishment. The Sandaime Raikage was a big man, but would look like a dwarf standing next to this giant. More concerning than that was the fact that he passed the detection barrier surrounding the village in form of a bubble undetected. Only a selected group of people who know the right combination of hand seals, namely the elders including himself, the  _Densetsu no Sannin (Legendary Three Ninja)_  and ANBU captains could pass it undetected. Furthermore, extremely fast-moving individuals like the Yondaime Raikage Ē in his  ** _Raiton no Yoroi (Lightning Release Armour)_**  or  ** _Jikūkan Ninjutsu (Space-Time Ninjutsu)_**  proficient shinobi like for example the deceased Nidaime Hokage, Tobirama Senju, could bypass the sphere as well.

"And what about the scroll?", he inquired.

"Naruto took it and is currently on his way home."

"Resume your duties, Neko. I will personally take care of this matter."

Yūgao nodded and used the  ** _S_** ** _hunshin no Jutsu ( ** _Body Flicker Technique_** )_** to leave the office. It was only allowed to use that jutsu to get out of the room, but never into it or the Hokage's bodyguards would swiftly decapitate whoever was foolish enough to do this and ask questions later.

Hiruzen deactivated the privacy seals, stood up, and made himself on his way to Naruto's apartment with his bodyguards following close behind.

* * *

Naruto took his time walking back home and enjoyed the fresh night air filling his lungs. It was already dark, stars illuminated the heaven, and the village shone in the light of the lanterns.

"I can't wait to see what's written inside. Hopefully some super awesome jutsu!", he said to himself as he almost reached the door of his apartment.

The blonde opened the door and was surprised to see that the lights were turned on. Naruto walked carefully inside, putting all his skill in stealth to use. Whoever dared to break into his apartment would pay dearly!

"I see you are back, Naruto", a soft voice greeted him.

He almost jumped at being caught and turned his head to the source. "Jiji?! How did you get in here?", Naruto asked, clearly confused and a bit startled.

"Have you forgotten? I have the second key to your apartment in case you lose yours."

Of course, how could he forget that? The boy scratched the back of his head in embarrassment with his free hand and replied "Oh right. Hehe, I forgot about that... Um, Not that I'm not happy to see you but why did you visit me at such a late hour, Jiji?"

"I came here because of the scroll you carry with you. May I take a look at it?", Hiruzen answered sternly and the last part sounded more like an order than a request.

Never before had Naruto seen this side of his Jiji and was a bit frightened. He really hoped he wasn't in trouble. "O-Ok"

" _ **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)**_ " A clone of Hiruzen emerged out of a cloud of smoke.

"Wow! How did you do that?! That's so cool. Can you teach me?"

"Give my clone the scroll, Naruto.", the Hokage said in a voice that made the boy flinch, showing his seriousness.

Naruto obeyed and handed the scroll over to the clone, who left the apartment wordlessly afterwards.

"Don't worry, if everything is fine my clone will come back shortly."

"Just what is going on? And how did you know that I have this scroll in the first place?"

"One of my ANBU saw you carrying it and told me.", Hiruzen told him the half-truth. It wouldn't benefit their relationship if he told him that he let ANBU watch over him 24/7. "And to answer your question I'm concerned about your safety."

"Am I in danger?"

"I don't know yet. We will have to wait, be patient."

A few seconds in silence passed before the clone finally returned and handed the scroll to the original, immediately dispelling itself afterwards, thus Hiruzen received the clone's memories. 'Good. There was no trap seal on the scroll.', he thought in relief.

An old, but effective method to assassinate someone. Simply plant multiple paper bombs into a scroll or turn the scroll itself into a giant one and deliver it as a letter to the clueless victim, who would activate the trigger as soon as he opened the scroll. Nowadays a quite obsolete method and relatively easy to neutralize, though still in use. Sometimes more important scrolls are modified in such a manner or had seal based traps as a safeguard to protect valuable information.

"Is everything alright? Can I have it back now.", Naruto said, growing more and more annoyed.

"Everything seems fine, Naruto. I just have to take a look at it myself. Please sit down and wait until I'm finished.", his voice had changed back to its grandfatherly tone. He went to the kitchen, sat down, put the scroll on the table, and began to read.

Naruto sat down on the other side of the table and watched him intently. About a minute passed before Hiruzen stopped reading any further, staring at the scroll unbelievingly.

'The training methods are insane and the descriptions of these six powers are ridiculous. To perform such feats without the use of chakra is impossible,  _unless_  you devote your life entirely to taijutsu. Besides, no one would train and torture his body like this... except Maito Gai.' The training of said jōnin is considered torture, even among the elites. No one doubts the results, but even his warm-up exercises leave the average jōnin half-dead.

"What's written in that scroll, Jiji. Please can I keep it? Please!", the boy pleaded. Naruto didn't know why the old man was so interested in his scroll all of a sudden and hoped he wouldn't take it away. It was the first gift he hadn't received from Teuchi, Ayame, or his Jiji. That alone made it precious to him and he would fight for it... even if any resistance would be futile.

"This scroll contains a taijutsu style called  _Rokushiki_. You can keep it and train yourself in this style if it means that much to you."

Naruto smiled brightly at that and looked relieved. It wouldn't be beneficial for Hiruzen or the village to take the scroll away from the boy. He highly doubted anyone could master this style anyway. 'Hmm but who knows. When Minato-kun first told me he had created his own improved version of Tobirama-sensei's  _ **Hiraishin no Jutsu**_ ** _(Flying Thunder God Technique)_**  I couldn't believe my ears. Maybe you can prove me wrong and make the impossible possible, just like your father did.'

"But promise me something, Naruto.", That statement got him Naruto's full attention. "If you really go through with this and manage to learn it then hide your true skills. At least until you become a genin. Let others underestimate you. It will give you an advantage later on."

Naruto looked Hiruzen directly in his eyes and nodded. "I promise, and I go never back on my word, dattebayo."

"I will take my leave now.", Hiruzen stood up and when he was almost out of the door he turned his head to bid the boy farewell "Sleep well, Naruto."

"You too, Jiji.", he exclaimed and waved Hiruzen goodbye.

As soon as he left Naruto changed into his nightgown and set his alarm clock, so he would wake up early to train. His excitement kept him awake though and let him only rest for a few hours.

* * *

The next morning arrived and after doing his morning routine Naruto was ready for any challenge. He now stood in front of the scroll and pointed at it with a determined gaze. "I will earn everyone's respect! I'm ready for anything you throw at me, dattebayo!"

After his declaration he sat down and began to read.

_If you read this scroll you are considered to be one of the best..._

The blonde looked up and grinned from ear to ear "I always knew I was awesome!"

_...but you will soon realize that this means nothing from now on! By learning Rokushiki you will be pushing yourself past what you and others view as strength and mold your body into a living weapon. You will reach the limits of the human body and surpass them through rigorous training and mental discipline. Before you actually start training keep this always in mind. You must drink, eat, and sleep plenty, otherwise your body will collapse._

Naruto's eyes widened and he paled a bit. Was it really that hard to learn this Rokushiki? He resumed reading.

_...Rokushiki revolves around six techniques: Soru, _Geppō_ , Rankyaku, Shigan, Tekkai, and Kami-e. There exists a seventh secret technique as well, named  _Rokuōgan_ , which combines the principles of all six into one lethal attack. Don't even attempt it before you have obtained absolute mastery of ALL six or you will either seriously injure yourself, become a cripple, or die!_

He gulped. Just what has he gotten himself into?

_...Six techniques alone don't make up an entire martial arts style and won't guarantee your victory. Therefore you are going to learn several katas to block, dodge, and strike your opponents. You will also learn everything necessary about the human body in order to kill, wound, or paralyze your targets. Furthermore, you will learn how to meditate..._

Naruto stopped and groaned. Studying anatomy  _and_  meditating. They did that at the academy sometimes and it's so  _boring_. You have to sit still the whole time and do nothing.

_,because a focused mind and a calm spirit is necessary to master Rokushiki and to keep your cool in the heat of the battle. Another requirement for most of the more advanced versions of the six basic techniques is that you master Seimei Kikan to the best of your abilities. Seimei Kikan will allow you to control your bodily functions at will._

At this Naruto looked confused. 'What does that mean? I already control my body at will, don't I?'

_...From now on your legs are the most valuable part of your body apart from your head and heart. Rokushiki relies heavily on the strength in your legs, so you will be training them the most! Even if a Rokushiki master loses his arms he's still a deadly fighter, but if he or she loses a leg his or her ability to fight becomes very restricted. Don't think an artificial leg could ever replace your own! If you lose a leg your career as a Rokushiki master is over. The following excercise will give your legs enough strength to handle Soru, _ _Geppō,__  and Rankyaku..._

* * *

Naruto was lying on the ground on the top of the Hokage Monument with stones lying around him. Sweat covered his body all over and he was panting heavily from exertion. His body ached everywhere and his bones felt like they were on fire. Never before had he been so tired from a training excercise. He had just completed the first task described in the scroll.

_This excercise has several stages and will cover multiple aspects of your training. It will strengthen your legs as well as your arms and increase your speed, agility, and stamina significantly. The first stage requires that you run five miles in total while carrying some weight with both your arms. What you carry doesn't matter. You can carry either weights, wood, or stones that are lying around. It only must feel heavy to you and not hinder your movements. Run zigzag between trees, run up hills, and if possible climb up stairs. Once you can run this route as if it feels nothing more than a light jog to you start kicking off the ground two times with each step and carry additional 50 pounds strapped on your back. When you accomplish this increase the weight on your back and the frequency of your kicks step by step until you can carry 100 pounds on your back and if you can kick off the ground at least ten times in the blink of an eye you will have mastered Soru._

_You can't begin to learn _ _ _Geppō___  or Rankyaku if you can't kick off the ground at least six times, eight is recommended. Both techniques require extreme leg strength. Rankyaku requires you to kick the air at extremely high speed and strength in order to send out a sharp compressed air blade, making it a fearsome mid to long-range attack that provided with enough force can even cut through steel._

_____Geppō____  just requires you to kick the air with tremendous force. It will enable you to levitate, thus being very useful to evade attacks in mid-air as well as to perform aerial assaults and even in non-combat situations such as to pass impassable obstacles._

_Using _ _ _ _ _Geppō in conjunction with Soru is possible. It's called Kamisori, a technique which allows you to move extremely fast in three dimensions by using Soru in a zigzag motion in midair. Performing it even for a short burst of speed will put your body under immense strain and can damage your legs severely. Very few individuals in history, usually being blessed with a naturally far more powerful body than normal humans, were able to use it continuously over an extended period of time.______

Naruto found a perfect route through the edge of the village with his knowledge of its layout, which he gained during his time on the streets, fulfilling all criteria. The stairs leading to the top of the Hokage Monument were the last obstacle. He almost collapsed with the stones he carried in his arms at three-quarters of this agonizing route, but discovered that he had unexpected reserves left he never knew about thanks to one particular incident.

* * *

**Flashback**

He almost completed three-quarters of the way and could feel his legs and arms giving out. Suddenly, Naruto saw an odd man in front of him, wearing a green jumpsuit, orange leg warmers, a flak jacket, and a red forehead protector tied around his waist, identifying him as a ninja, moving towards him. He had his hair in a bowl cut, the thickest eyebrows Naruto had ever seen, and was walking on his hands.

Both looked at each other for some time before the man all of a sudden began to cry profusely for no apparent reason, lifted one of his hands, so his body was resting entirely on his other arm, clenched it into a fist and started to shout.

**"Such youth! It warms my heart to see the _Flames of Youth_  burn this brightly within the next generation!"**, he cried to the heavens, feeling the need to hug a mini clone of himself in front of a setting sun and gave Naruto a thumbs up, winked, and smiled at him, showing his pearl white teeth, which produced a ping noise.

'I need to get out of here!', Naruto panicked and found strength hidden deep within him to sprint past the man in a blur and complete the last quarter in a time Rob Lucci would be proud of.

"What incredible energy! I can tell this boy will come far in his life! His  _Flames of Youth_  are burning like an inferno!", the man screamed, and resumed his training schedule with a wide smile at such a display of youthfulness.

**Flashback End**

* * *

Naruto needed about ten minutes to catch his breath and wiped his brow with the back of his hand to get rid of the sweat covering it. Time to resume his training.

_Meditation is a crucial part of developing a calm and focused mind and necessary to master Seimei Kikan. Normal humans cannot control all their bodily functions willingly, but in order to become a true Rokushiki master you must surpass this limit too and learn how to make your body obey your will. To accomplish that you must synchronize your mind and body. Clear your mind of all unneccessary thoughts. Focus on the rhythm of your body and the movement of the air around you. No one can tell how long you will need to master this or if you even can. It is all up to you._

_All this is essential to learn Kami-e and Tekkai. By using Kami-e you make your body go limp in order to avoid attacks by _moving along the air displaced by a strike. Imagine to sway back and forth like _a piece of paper in the air__. Anticipating attacks is also an important part of this technique, giving you more time to dodge._

_Tekkai is the exact opposite of _Kami-e_. You harden your muscles and skin to the extend of iron. To achieve this you must tense your muscles to the extreme, be focused, control your breath, and get rid of all your unneccessary movements. Imagine to become like a stone, calm and motionless, defying the forces of nature and unable to feel pain. But always keep in mind that your body still consists of flesh and blood! Meaning that even with Tekkai active your body will still be affected by heat, cold, or chemicals. If the attack has enough force behind it or you lose focus even for a second your Tekkai won't hold._

_Only one Rokushiki user in recorded history was able to master Tekkai to such a degree that he could maintain it while being able to move simultaneously and even developed his own fighting style, Tekkai Kenpō, that exploits the advantages gained from a permanent Tekkai in battle. Not only are you always protected, but the potency of your own blows increases tremendously as well, due to the _solidity of your musculature while using this technique_. The secret lies in the combined use of Tekkai and  _ _Kami-e__ _ _.___

It sounded very complicated to become one with your body, nevertheless he had to try. The blonde sat down in a lotus position, took slow breaths, and closed his eyes. He was never good at sitting still and always found meditation to be boring, but after the ordeal he endured previously he welcomed the calmness. It appears that he had spent most of his hyperactive energy in the last excercise. Naruto tried to do as instructed and focused entirely on his body and the air around him, feeling the rhythm in which his heart beat and how his chest rose and fell with each breath.

He wasn't sure how long he remained like this, but the sun was still up and he felt much better than before, though his muscles still ached a bit. Ignoring the unpleasant feeling he stretched his body and went to Ichiraku's where he ate more ramen than ever before, noting that if this went on he would have to hunt again or else he would spend all his savings for food in no time.

* * *

The next part of today's training consisted of doing katas shown on the colored pictures in the scroll while balancing a bottle filled with water on top of his head. It required a lot of concentration not to spill the water, but as much as he tried he still slipped about half of it.

In the pictures a man in a black suit was performing the stances. He had his wavy hair tied in a ponytail, arched eyebrows, and a goatee. This man looked cool, confident, and  _very_  strong in his opinion, however, what disturbed him a little were his eyes, so cold and calculating, boring into your soul and sending chills down his spine. Besides, he somehow felt a connection with this guy as if they had something in common. Naruto toyed with the idea of getting such a suit too, but a part of it would have to be orange.

Studying the human body was also part of his training. The scroll showed two large pictures of the human body, one male and the other female, their front and back next to each other. Both were covered with colored dots. It explained in all detail that red dots show points you have to strike if you want to kill your opponent such as the eight vital points, larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney, and heart. Yellow dots mark parts that, if hit, cause fatal wounds, which if not taken care of within two to fifteen minutes would cause death. Green dots display parts that you can strike to inflict excruciating pain, wound, paralyze, or make your enemy lose conciousness without risking the target's life. Naruto must memorize all of them and their impact on the human body.

* * *

Currently, he was chopping wood for a while now with an axe which he had  _borrowed_  from one of the local rangers. The blonde would give it back later since the man had five of them and wouldn't miss one. It was already getting late.

_Chopping wood will increase the strength of your arms and shoulders, making your punches faster and more powerful._

"Phew. I can't stop now... Huff... I still have one... Huff... excercise to do."

Naruto felt tired... so tired, and his muscles made him a thousand promises of pain to come, but he couldn't stop training now as long as the sun was still up. He had a goal! Nothing worth having comes without sacrifice. The blonde knelt down and began to dig the ground with his bare hands.

'Unbelievable! After such ordeals he still has the strength to go on?!', Yūgao thought in amazement while hiding in the shadows. This boy was definitely something else!

_By digging the ground with your bare hands you will increase the strength of your hands and fingers required to punch hard and perform Shigan. You basically focus all your force into your finger(s) and push it(them) into a target at very high speed. It can be useful to either cripple, mortally wound, or kill your opponent instantly, if aimed for the right spot. You are going to do one-fingered push-ups and lift weights with your fingers to further strengthen them and in order to get your fingers used to penetration you will jab them into sand, gravel, wood, and finally solid rock. Once you can do all that without flinching from the pain you will have mastered Shigan._

Half an hour of digging later, losing some fingernails in the process, he summoned his last reserves and made himself on his way home. This training regime took a toll on him.

* * *

Naruto arrived home and was utterly exhausted, mentally and physically. He reeked of sweat, his head hurt from all the information he had to absorb, and his muscles ached terribly. After closing the door, not even bothering to turn the lights on, the boy dragged himself to his bed. He didn't even change into his nightgown and simply threw himself onto it, slipping almost immediately into the realm of sweet unconsciousness, drool was already forming on the corner of his mouth.

Inside Naruto's mind however his tenant was fully awake. Kurama was currently walking circles in his cage out of boredom.  _Ten years_ , ten years of talking to yourself, sleeping, walking in this tight space, and counting the bars of his prison. Hell, he even gave each of them a name.

**'Haven't I suffered enough already? I was trapped countless of years in two hosts and then _Madara_  dared to take control of me again. How did that bastard even manage to live this long? On top of that I have been sealed yet again. What have I done to deserve this?! ...Well, I might have killed some humans, but why are they building their settlements right in my path anyway. It's their own fault or d** **o they care if they destroy an ant hill and kill its inhabitants? If I would always worry about crushing the insects beneath me I wouldn't be able to walk, dammit!'**

He had no one to talk with. Being imprisoned and all alone was like hell to him. His host would need to contact him first before he could begin to establish a mind link between them and view his memories. Today however, he noticed something interesting, namely the physical state his host was in.

**"Just what has my moron of a host done to damage his body like that?"** , he asked aloud and thought about it. The damage done to his body was definitely inflicted by himself. This much he could tell after being imprisoned in two hosts before. Maybe that kid was actually training? That was good! Kurama started to fear his host was some useless lazy civilian. What he needed was a strong host who can take care of himself, thus not dying too early.

If his host died he would die too. Would that be the end of him? Ha no, of course not! His chakra, at least the Yang part that was left of it, would reform after about 6 or 7 years he estimated, but it was  _really_  painful to be ripped apart.

**"Curse you, _Yondaime Hokage_!"** , Kurama roared and scowled, eyes flaring with rage. He would avoid this ordeal for as long as possible. Enduring this boredom was way better than years in constant unbearable pain.  **'I need to strengthen the kid's body further, so he won't die too soon.'**

Unbeknownst to everyone Kurama was boosting the already impressive healing factor of his host with a  _tiny_  amount of his chakra immensely while Naruto slept, focusing on making the boy's muscles denser and more durable. It wouldn't grant the blonde superhuman strength in an instant, but if he continues to train that rigorously his progress will be accelerated by leaps and bounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Background information on the scroll:
> 
> It was created to incorporate newly developed Rokushiki styles, like Jabra's Tekkai Kenpō, who was ordered to reveal its secrets, into the CP9 training program, as well as to improve the currently used training methods. The necessary information has been gathered five and a half years ago (One Piece timeline Kuma came from: Shortly after the Thriller Bark arc) from all notable Rokushiki users working for the World Government, meaning that Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa and Blueno haven't left for their undercover mission to Water Seven at this point in time. Martial arts experts from all around the world have completed it shortly after the Enies Lobby arc (bureaucracy and bickering hindered the progress noticeably). Only this one exemplar exists, making it extremely valuable. Therefore Kuma was ordered to deliver it safely to a secret CP9 training camp where it should have been reproduced and afterwards stored in a vault as the original. The copies would have been given to each participant of the program. The trainees don't have instructors who hold their hands. They get a training scroll, a secluded area for themself, have to learn on their own and get tested in certain intervals to monitor their progress as well as to give them hints on how to improve or tell them what they are doing wrong. The students would also spar against each other occasionally. Kuma took his time, completed other missions incidentally and eventually explored the Naruto world where he met our favourite ninja in training. He's not concerned about consequences, because he has to die anyway and he's sure that it's in good hands.


	3. Road to Genin

**Chapter 3 - Road to Genin**

A now twelve-year-old Naruto, dressed in his usual bright orange jumpsuit, was grinning in anticipation while jumping from roof to roof towards the academy. The day has finally come! Today the graduation exam is being held and once passed the boy could finally drop this mask of stupidity which he had worn in public for almost two and a half years. The blonde had promised his Jiji to hide his skills and Naruto Uzumaki always keeps his promises. He concluded that the best way to go about it would be to simply continue the way he acted in the past, thus not looking suspicious to anyone. What basically meant to hold the title  _dead last_  and  _class clown_.

Looking back at his old self he could only shake his head. 'I was nothing more than an annoying loudmouth, shouting that I would become Hokage even though I didn't understand what it means to be a leader. I'm glad Kuma opened my eyes.' The boy would never forget the conversation he had with this man and his kindness. Naruto doubted he would have progressed this much without the scroll, which he hid well in his apartment, and learned much more from it than he ever had at the academy.

Naruto made phenomenal progress in his training to master  ** _Soru (Shave)_**. He could now kick off the ground five times with 60 pounds strapped on his back while running his five-mile long route through Konoha in the early morning hours and not be entirely exhausted afterwards.

Occasionally he bumped into that weird man again, Maito Gai he learned was his name or as the shinobi liked to introduce himself  _Konoha no Kedakaki Aoi Mōjū (_ _Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey)_. At first Naruto was reluctant to approach him, but after summoning up some courage he briefly conversed with the jōnin. This man was very nice and even gave him special weights to  _heat his_   _Flames of Youth_ , he said. Whatever that meant. Anyway, the blonde was glad to have received them because they made his training much more comfortable.

Moreover, Naruto had completed his studies in anatomy, could perform the katas without slipping a single drop of water from the bottle that he balanced on top of his head, and chopped wood like a well-oiled machine.

His  ** _Shigan (Finger Pistol)_**  was showing promise as well. Naruto had tested the fruits of his labor on a dead rabbit he caught beforehand and pierced deep into its flesh, but that feat alone wasn't sufficient enough, not by a long shot. Only if he was able to pierce through thick armor  _and_  the flesh it protected his  ** _Shigan (Finger Pistol)_**  would be considered adequate and he still struggled with thick wood. During this intense training he had sprained his fingers so often that he lost count.

The boy's  ** _Tekkai (Iron Mass)_**  and  _ **Kami-e (Paper Art)**_  were moderate at best. There was only so much you can do while practicing on your own to improve your reflexes, dodging speed, and durability. Naruto had constructed traps that would unleash a volley of small rocks at him when triggered and also set up bags filled with sand hanging down from ropes to improve his evasion skills as well as to simulate hits, however, those measures couldn't replace the experience gained from real a fight against competent adversaries. Only combat could truly improve those two moves and unfortunately since he trained in secret, always making sure to shake off his persistent pursuer Hinata, Naruto had no one he could ask for help. Teuchi and Ayame were obviously out of question, the old man was too busy running the village, and he didn't trust this Maito Gai fellow completely yet.

Much to his dismay however the blonde made very little to no progress with  ** _Geppō_ _(Moonwalk)_**  and  ** _Rankyaku ( ** _Storm Leg_** )_**, mainly because he still lacked the necessary leg strength. Naruto had tried to perform them several times and failed miserably, merely succeeding in creating a weak gust of wind. One time even, when practicing  ** _Rankyaku (Storm Leg)_** , he teared the muscles of his right leg apart.

Luckily though some ANBU were nearby when that happened. Among them was that purple-haired woman again, who had always rescued him from aggressive villagers. In contrast to the other ANBU he never sensed any ill-will from her directed at him and in his early years he often thought of her as his guardian angel. She had provided first aid and carried him to the hospital where he had been thrown out unceremoniously once his leg was healed in record time. He should have listened to the recommendation in the scroll and practiced the techniques when he could kick off the ground eight times.

Naruto also made sure not to neglect kunai and shuriken practice. He was still using the ones he received from his Jiji on his tenth birthday, which he took good care of, keeping them razor-sharp. It might come in handy later on and having good aim was very important for the efficiency of the more advanced  ** _Shigan (Finger Pistol)_**  techniques as well.

All in all, the blonde made astounding progress in developing both his mind and body over the past two years, yet, Naruto believed that he could have improved even more if it wasn't for the academy shortening his free time. The intense training sessions were gruelling, almost breaking him, but through it all he persisted with sheer determination to fulfil his goal, his dream. He had to become stronger and there was still so much to learn.

* * *

Much about Naruto has changed as time went by. At first glance an observer wouldn't see a big difference. Outwardly, he still looked pretty much the same, having grown just a few inches, though he was still considered short for his age, despite forcing himself to eat more accursed vegetables and gaining much more muscle mass. Not that anyone noticed this due to the baggy jumpsuit covering his figure. He wasn't bulky, instead his figure was extremely well-defined for a twelve-year-old boy.

However, it was his mindset that changed the most, almost doing a 180 degree turn. Naruto became a much calmer and collected individual. The only ones he revealed his true self to were Teuchi and Ayame if he was the only customer at their stand, eating his ramen like a civilized person, savouring the taste, instead of inhaling the food like he used to do in the past, and his Jiji during one of his rare visits. They weren't particularly fond of the changes in his behaviour. The three felt that their little Naruto grew up too fast and lost his childlike innocence. In front of others Naruto would still act as an immature loud brat with no manners who had only his next prank in mind, which he still enjoyed doing from time to time.

'Hehe I have got quite some acting skills.', he complimented himself. His act was really convincing in his opinion. The only times Naruto almost lost himself though was during sparring matches with Sasuke. It was so tempting to wipe that arrogant look off that bastard's face, however, he held back and fought with the corrupted version of the academy style that his taijutsu teacher Mizuki had shown him, losing the fights on purpose.

Naruto's expression darkened. 'To think I believed this man tried to help me. Mizuki- _sensei_  obviously wanted me to die during my first real mission.' In the past he held Mizuki in high regards for giving him more attention than the other students and therefore felt betrayed by his actions. That's why Naruto became even more paranoid and untrusting towards others than he already was due to his past experiences. Always questioning second motives of a friendly gesture.

Resisting the urge to use the Rokushiki katas, which he had drilled into his head for countless of hours, to counter or dodge Sasuke's attacks wasn't easy, but he developed a lot of mental discipline and managed to suppress his reflexes. Besides, Sasuke wasn't fighting him seriously too, probably thinking he wasn't worth the effort if his usual grunt at the end of the matches was any indication. Naruto actually had to feign pain when that bastard punched him. To be honest, he barely felt any of his puny punches.

Nevertheless some of his characteristics remained. For instance his obsession for ramen, his love for the color orange and the people precious to him, that verbal tick when he was very excited or determined, and his major dislike for Sasuke. He knew it was irrational to dislike him so much, but he couldn't stand Sasuke's attitude and hated being underestimated.

* * *

'Just one more time I have to act like a fool.', Naruto thought as he landed gracefully next to the entrance. He was already ten minutes late on purpose to suit his reputation. Walking up to the door of his classroom Naruto opened it without knocking and was greeted with a disapproving glance from Iruka, who stopped writing something on the blackboard, and turned to face him fully.

Iruka Umino was a man of average build, dressed in Konoha's standard chūnin attire, with dark eyes and black hair, which he kept in a ponytail. Everything about his appearance literally screamed  _average_ , but he was far from being so. It wasn't the scar running across the bridge of his nose that made him stand out, no, it was the fact that he belonged to the small group of adults who view Naruto as a human being.

"How nice of you to grace us with your presence, Naruto. I think now is the right time to teach you and all the others a lesson. Punctuality is a very important part of a ninja's life. As punishment we are now going to review the  ** _Henge no Jutsu ( _ **Transformation Technique**_ )_**.", the angry teacher scolded his students.

The whole class erupted in groans. "Iruka-sensei! Please, come on! Don't be so mean! It's our last day and in two hours we are going to take the exams!", Kiba tried to argue, followed by an approving bark of Akamaru, who rested comfortably inside his partner's jacket.

"For once  _dog breath_  is right! Why do we have to suffer because of that  _idiot_?!", Sakura followed swiftly in a voice that almost made Iruka cringe and woke up a confused Shikamaru. Others seemingly wanted to follow their example, but Iruka was quick to silence any further arguments with the help of his intimidating  ** _Big Head no Jutsu_** , which he had invented himself, something he was very proud of, especially when seeing how effective it was.

**"Silence!** You can thank Naruto later. Now, everyone, line up and transform into a  _perfect_  copy of myself.", he barked and as everyone got up they send Naruto a dirty look, except for Hinata, who just fixed her gaze onto the wooden floor and tapped her two index fingers together.

Sometime later it was Sasuke's turn, who performed the technique flawlessly. "Sasuke-kun is so amazing!", Sakura and her rival Ino exclaimed at the same time with their hands folded together and hearts visible in their eyes. That statement was followed by shouts of agreement from his other fangirls and envious looks from most of the boys.

'It's beyond me why the girls are all over him for performing a simple  _E-rank_  jutsu.', Naruto mentally rolled his eyes. He was far better at the  ** _Henge no Jutsu ( _ **Transformation Technique)**__**  than Sasuke. His own advanced version was actually solid! Aside from that he was a boy in puberty and subconsciously envied the female attention Sasuke was receiving.

Well, he got more attention from Hinata than he would like. Over time he realized that the Hyūga heiress seemed to have a  _huge_  crush on him that bordered on obsession. Unfortunately for her he didn't feel the same way. Naruto seriously wanted to give it a try since he hated the loneliness in his life and she actually wasn't bad-looking either by his standards.

He gave up on Sakura a long time ago after he saw similar hatred for him in her eyes that he witnessed daily in the villagers, but still asked her out for dates like he always did in the past to maintain his cover, only to get punched in the face with tremendous force. Sakura can throw punches that put most guys in their age group to shame!

Four months ago Naruto approached Hinata after school when she was alone, which she was most of the time. He was a bit nervous and had sweaty palms. In contrast to popular belief the real Naruto was somewhat shy on the inside. However, before he could talk to her she turned red and fainted. Probably due to the fact that they were very close, all alone, and his intense eye contact combined. Naruto didn't give up so easily and tried it the day afterwards again, then again... and again, before he got fed up and stopped. What kind of relationship would that be? A kiss would probably let her fall into a coma.

**"Earth to Naruto!"** , Iruka's shout brought him out of his musings. "Stop daydreaming. It's your turn, come forward.", he ordered. Naruto complied and suddenly grinned mischievously, adopting a look Iruka knew all to well from his own past. In his childhood the strict teacher was a renowned prankster. 'Oh no! His prankster side is coming out again! Just what is he up to?!'

Iruka's train of thought was interrupted by Naruto yelling out  **" _Henge no Jutsu ( _ **Transformation Technique**_ )_!"**

A puff of smoke engulfed the boy and where Naruto once stood was now a truly gorgeous and well-developed blond women in a sexy pose... naked! Only very thin plumes of smoke covered her intimate areas. "Iruka- _sensei_. I was such a naughty girl. Are you going to  _discipline_  me?", the woman purred in a seductive voice with her right index finger on her bottom lip, winked, and flew him a kiss afterwards with the same hand.

His performance resulted in various reactions. Iruka was blown away by a massive nose bleed along with Kiba. The other boys had deep blushes covering their faces, except for Sasuke, who had a look of indifference plastered on his face. The girls on the other hand were most displeased and tightened their fists, gritted their teeth, and veins throbbed on their foreheads, even Hinata couldn't approve of her crush's action.

* * *

In Yugakure, a certain white-haired  _Gama Sennin_ _(Toad Sage)_  stopped his research for a brief moment. Something he rarely did. Jiraiya experienced a similar proud feeling like back then when his prized student Minato had developed the  ** _Rasengan_**. Only this time his pervert senses were tingling too and he smiled brightly. Someone must have created a perverted technique! Hopefully he would see it someday, so he could get some inspiration for his new book.

* * *

Another puff of smoke indicated that the  _technique_  had been canceled. The girls looked determined to murder Naruto, but before the situation could escalate Iruka regained his composure in time and screamed  **"Naruto! Don't do that ever again!"**

"Haha whats wrong sensei? I did a  _much_  better  ** _Henge ** _no Jutsu_** ( _ **Transformation Technique**_ )_** than Sasuke, didn't I? You seem to have liked it very much.", Naruto replied innocently with his eyes closed, a wide smirk on his face, and his hands folded behind the back of his head.

He was very proud of himself. With the help of the scroll, from which he learned everything important about the female anatomy, Naruto completed his first self-made technique that he fittingly named  ** _Oiroke no Jutsu (Sexy Jutsu)_**. How many academy students could claim for themselves to have created their own jutsu? Of course he knew it was immature, but his prankster side still existed within him. You can't be dead serious all the time or you end up like Sasuke, something he definitely didn't want to.

" **Naruto!**  You don't seem to understand the situation you are in! You failed the exam two times already and if you fail once more today you will get thrown out of the ninja program! You failed this test, hence you score even lower now! Meaning that you must perform absolute perfectly in the final exam to pass!", he shouted from the top of his lungs in order to finally get through that thick skull of his student.

It was awkward for him to teach the boy who contained the beast that killed his parents. The Hokage, who along with Mizuki managed to get him out of his depression that followed his parent's death, often conversed with him about Naruto and requested that he should judge the blonde for himself, not by rumors. Iruka respected the Sandaime Hokage greatly and honored his request because of that. After teaching Naruto for months he came to the conclusion that he wasn't the monster everyone thought and discovered they shared some similarities. That's why he wanted Naruto to pass and continue to pursue his dream of becoming Hokage, but with his grades it seems very unlikely he would graduate.

Naruto wasn't concerned. True, he took the exams two times already since he wanted to become a genin as soon as possible, so he could quit acting like an idiot, but failed them because both times they tested the  ** _Bunshin no Jutsu ( _ **Clone Technique**_ )_**. Naruto just seemed to have bad luck. A computer randomly selects one of the three standard techniques they would test all students on that day.

He got better at it over time. His clones didn't lay outright dead on the floor anymore, instead they now stood upright, looked as if they suffered from high fever, and clutched their stomachs in pain. However, this time Jiji assured him he would be tested in something else after he told him about his dilemma.

Eventually, everyone calmed down and moved back to their seats. Iruka left the room and shortly afterwards came back together with Mizuki to announce in what the students are going to be tested in. Iruka coughed into his fist to get his student's attention and began to speak.

"Alright everyone, listen up! To graduate you must perform the  ** _Bunshin no Jutsu ( _ **Clone Technique**_ )_**.", at this Naruto looked surprised and Mizuki had to suppress a smirk. He was in charge of the computer and manipulated the result beforehand, so Naruto would fail again. It was important for his plan after all. Once that nuisance failed he would approach him and tell him about the  _secret_  way to still pass the exam, shifting the blame on him. "...When I call your name follow us to the next room, Naruto, you are first.", Iruka said and fixed his gaze on the blonde, who stood up and followed him wordlessly.

Sakura smiled gleefully and  _Inner Sakura_  was celebrating. Her inner self punched the space in front of her and began screaming inside her head  **'Yes! Finally, one less obstacle. That perverted idiot will fail and won't be standing between me and Sasuke-kun anymore. In the end true love triumphs, shannaro!'**  To be honest Sakura was a bit concerned because of that voice in her head, but told nobody about it. She didn't want others to think she was crazy or something. Apart from her  _slightly_  bigger forehead she was perfectly normal... right?

* * *

Iruka passed the next room and both Mizuki as well as Naruto looked a bit confused. "Um Iruka. The students are supposed to be tested in this room.", Mizuki reminded his  _friend_  and pointed at the room they previously passed.

"No, not Naruto. He's a special case like that Rock Lee kid a year ago, remember?", Iruka responded, not looking at him, thus not seeing Mizuki's eyes slightly widen in concern "...I received a note from Hokage-sama himself stating that Naruto will be tested in taijutsu and since you are a hand to hand combat teacher you will spar with Naruto and I'm going to monitor the match."

Mizuki almost exhaled in relief, but managed to suppress the urge. 'This is unexpected, but no need to be worried. The brat is a complete failure at taijutsu. I made sure of that after all.', he mulled the new situation over and grinned wickedly.

The trio arrived at the backyard of the academy. No one was in the vicinity, so nobody could interfere. It was a rather wide fenced area where the students could safely practice their ninjutsu and improve their throwing skills. Several logs, used to practice the  ** _Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Replacement Technique)_**  or as targets, were lying all around them.

"Now, I want you to listen carefully as I explain the rules Hokage-sama has set. This match will be a taijutsu only match. Mizuki, take off your armored vest and lay  _all_  your concealed weapons down here next to me.", Iruka, now totally serious, ordered him to do, who did as he was told.

Suddenly, Naruto also moved calmly to the spot he was pointing at. "Naruto, what are you doing, you...", Iruka stopped when he saw Naruto was pulling out several kunai and shuriken out of his jumpsuit and pouch. "Naruto! Students are not allowed to bring their own weapons with them to the academy!", he eyed the blonde disapprovingly, who didn't react to his outburst at all and continued "Sigh. Since it is your last day as my student, no matter the outcome of this match, I will let that slide."

Once both have finished they turned to him and he resumed "...You will fight till one of you gives up, is unable to continue the fight, gets knocked out, or I end the match. Of course killing blows are prohibited. Mizuki, you will limit yourself to genin level and are not allowed to enhance your movements with chakra. Have you understood the rules?", Iruka asked, whereupon both nodded and moved to face each other. They didn't make the  _Tairitsu no In (Seal of Confrontation)_  since this wasn't a friendly spar between academy students, but an official review. Iruka as well as Mizuki noticed a change in Naruto's demeanor. He looked focused and his expression darkened.

**"Begin!"** , Iruka instructed and both fighters slipped into a defense stance.

Mizuki was utterly surprised at Naruto's reaction. 'What is he doing?! I expected him to yell and throw a clumsy punch at me. What kind of stance is that anyway? I'm sure I haven't taught him that.', Mizuki was now eyeing the boy's stance intently and tried to find any weak points. He moved slowly to the right in order to gauge Naruto's reaction, who adjusted to the new situation immediately. 'Remarkable, his defense is perfect. I can't find a single vulnerable spot. But how is that possible? He's a failure!', he thought and confusion was written all over his face, mixed with a tiny amount of shock at such display of skill.

Eventually, his eyes rested on Naruto's and what he saw made his blood run cold. The usual warmth his eyes held was completely gone, replaced by coldness which easily rivaled that of a glacier made of the coldest and hardest ice. Mizuki held eye contact though. However, sweat began to form on his brow. He had witnessed and fought in many battles before, but he never saw such cold eyes. That boy's stare was truly intimidating! About a minute passed and neither had moved an inch.

Iruka lost his patience. He coughed into his fist and urged  **"** **I said begin!"**

That was the last straw for Mizuki, intimidating stare or not, he was the superior ninja and couldn't afford to lose, his life was at stake after all, so he lunged at Naruto with great genin level speed, pulled his right fist back and aimed it at the boy's head.

'Time to put my abilities to the test.', Naruto thought. " ** _Kami-e (Paper Art)_** ", he said in a low voice, barely above a whisper. Putting his training in  _ **Seimei Kikan (Life Return)**_  to use Naruto relaxed his muscles as much as possible.

Mizuki's fist came crashing down upon him. Naruto bend his body around the arm to the right, following the air displaced by the strike, narrowly avoiding the punch. He swiftly gripped the surprised chūnin's limb with both arms, holding its wrist tightly in his left armpit with astounding strength and much faster than any academy student should be able to Naruto raised his right arm and smashed his elbow into Mizuki's radial bone, breaking it.

Mizuki howled in agony, his pain-filled cry echoed through the training area, and Naruto let go of him, who staggered backwards some distance and clutched his hurting forearm with his left hand, pain, disbelief and fear clearly visible on his face. Iruka was even more taken aback by his pupil's brutality.

"Hmpf Pitiful. Surely you can do better than that, Mizuki- _chan_.", Naruto mocked with a cocky grin on his face, knowing very well that taunting one's opponents could lead them to make mistakes.

Luckily, despite having some experience under his belt, Mizuki was falling for it in his arrogance and anger. He gritted his teeth and scowled at him maliciously, even leaking out his killing intent.  **"You demon! I will tear you apart!"** , Mizuki roared and was ready to go on. He had endured far worse in his career as a shinobi than a broken bone during a fight. Iruka narrowed his eyes at him for that statement and was on the edge, but Mizuki hasn't made any deadly move towards Naruto yet and seemed ready to continue, so the exam was still ongoing.

The angry chūnin, blinded by rage, ignored the pain in his arm and carelessly charged without thinking, giving Naruto the wide opening he had been waiting for. Naruto yelled  **" _Soru (Shave)_!"**  and sprinted towards the clueless chūnin at incredible speed, his arm and leg movements were blurry to Mizuki and Iruka. However, his upper body was still clearly visible to them, proving he didn't mastered the technique yet.  _(His Soru right now is similar to Nero's, the weasel dude who fought Franky on the sea train and got killed by Lucci afterwards.)_

The chūnin's eyes widened momentarily, realizing his foolish mistake. He hurriedly tried to dodge, but it was already too late. Mizuki could feel something penetrating the flesh on the left side of his upper chest deeply, damaging his pectoralis minor as well as pectoralis major muscle, restricting the mobility of his good arm. However, Naruto didn't stop his assault, instead he quickly followed with a quick jab into Mizuki's solar plexus with the same finger, meeting much more resistance than expected, took his right index finger out, jumped backwards, and called out the name of the technique he had used twice in a row.  **"** _ **Shigan (Finger Pistol)**_ **!** **"**

The collapsing Mizuki suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke, replaced by a log. The blonde turned to his left where Mizuki laid on his knees, his forehead touching the ground and his arms hanging useless at his sides. Before Naruto managed to hit his solar plexus he performed the  ** _Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Replacement Technique)_** , replacing himself with one of the logs lying around them, thus narrowly avoiding the last strike. That bastard got what he deserved for betraying his trust and sabotaging him. Naruto was satisfied now, having utterly crushed Mizuki's pride. The matter between them has been settled and he wouldn't bear a grudge against the man.

Stunned silence followed. After Iruka shook his head in disbelief he announced "Mizuki is disqualified for using ninjutsu. Winner and therefore genin of Konohagakure no Sato is Naruto Uzumaki.", and added to himself 'not that Mizuki could put up much of a fight anymore.'

"Argh...you monster... what have you done to me? Iruka... help.", Mizuki whimpered weakly, his breath irregular. He could taste blood in his mouth and fear began to overwhelm him. 'This year was my last chance! If I don't present Orochimaru-sama the scroll by tomorrow I'm dead!'

Iruka quickly ran towards his downed comrade to check on him. While Naruto was cleaning his bloody finger with a handkerchief he tried to calm his teacher. "Don't worry, Iruka-sensei. Mizuki is just overreacting. He's panicking due to taste of blood in his mouth and the pain. You will see that his injuries are not lethal.", he reasoned calmly.

And Iruka mentally confirmed his statement after inspecting the injuries 'Naruto is right. A medic can fix that easily.', and turned to look at his former student in awe. 'Mizuki was handicapped and out of shape, but toying with him like he did is extraordinary for an academy student!'

Iruka noticed his pupil moving towards him once he stored his kunai and shuriken, holding out his hand and looking at him expectantly. The warmth in his eyes had returned, a small smirk on his face. The teacher blinked for he wasn't sure what the boy wanted from him, but remembered he still hasn't given him his headband. He reached into his vest, pulled out a shiny black forehead protector and placed it onto Naruto's palm, who locked eyes with him.

"Iruka-sensei, thank you for everything you did for me. Out of all the teachers you were the only one who really took an interest in my education and didn't try to sabotage me in any way, shape, or form. I admit that I haven't learned much from your lessons, but I won't forget your kindness.", he told his teacher honestly and gave him one of his true smiles.

That was rare! No student in his entire career has ever thanked him before. That small gesture warmed his heart and made him smile. However, the fact that he admitted to have learned almost nothing from his lessons in turn hurt his pride as a teacher.

"Wait! Are you saying that Mizuki sabotaged you?", Iruka inquired and looked angrily at Mizuki's beaten form, who seemed to have passed out, either from shock, pain, or maybe both, questioning his friendship.

"Well, I still have to continue the exams, how about once I'm finished we meet at the entrance and I invite you to a bowl of ramen.", he offered, holding Naruto's shoulder. The boy's love for Ichiraku's ramen wasn't really a secret.

"That would be great, dattebayo!", Naruto responded and once Iruka let go of his shoulder he replaced his goggles with his new shiny forehead protector. He was now a real ninja and would become a legend among legends, surpassing all who came before him! Iruka went to Mizuki, picked him up, and brought him to the school's infirmary. The nurses provided first aid and brought him to Konoha's hospital, so he could make a full recovery, where he died on the same night from a morphine overdose  _(Kabuto's handiwork)_.

* * *

Hiruzen had watched the one-sided fight between Mizuki and Naruto through his crystal ball. He took a deep puff from his pipe and smiled gently, mulling over what he just saw 'I'm amazed at your progress, Naruto. You are very talented, strong, and determined, but don't get too cocky. Arrogance was the downfall of so many promising shinobi. You lack experience and have yet to witness the dangers of our world.'

Cancelling the technique he took care of the paperwork on his desk. This generation seemed promising and will definitely grow into splendid ninja under the right guidance. Together with Iruka he will have to put a lot of thought into the team placements.

* * *

Later that evening, Naruto and Iruka spent their time at Ichiraku's and were enjoying each other's company. Iruka asked him some questions about the techniques he used against Mizuki and told Naruto about his prankster days, who was truly surprised at his ingenuity. To think a troublemaker like him actually became a teacher. Today, Naruto not only became a genin, but also found a new person precious to him.


	4. Dropping the Mask

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter might give you the impression that I bash Sakura but rest assured that it's not my intention to do so. I plan to develop her character and turn her into an awesome kunoichi. Furthermore, Naruto doesn't wear weights outside of his training, for now at least.

**Chapter 4 - Dropping the Mask**

"I look so awesome, dattebayo!", Naruto exclaimed happily as he admired his new outfit in a mirror.

Just like the man who performed the katas on the pictures in the scroll he now wore a black suit along with black leather shoes, a tie, and a handkerchief in his left breast pocket. However, Naruto didn't want to just copy the outfit and gave it his own touch. Instead of white his tie, handkerchief, and cuffs were orange and the jacket's back was adorned with a hand-sized red swirl and its upper left sleeve with a white one because to him no attire was complete without them.

His old jumpsuits would still serve a purpose though. He would still wear them during his rigorous training sessions. Years in poverty caused him to never throw away anything still usable. In addition, the boy didn't want to dirty his new suits unnecessarily.

Two months ago, when he ordered several of those in various sizes, which were fairly expensive, at a civilian clothing store the owners gave him an odd look, but who would refuse the special requests of the village's most loved inhabitant,  _Sasuke Uchiha_. Knowing that no one would sell him anything better than his jumpsuits he simply transformed himself into that bastard before he entered the store, but retained his original measurements.

Since his modified version of the  ** _Henge_**  was solid and the store was run by civilians they didn't notice his disguise while they took his measurements and because it was  _Sasuke Uchiha_  who graced them with his presence the owner's even insisted that he paid just half the price, something he was very glad for, otherwise, he would have spent almost all his savings. The suits were also highly resistant towards external influences like heat, cold, moisture, and physical force by his request.

His gaze wandered to the shiny black forehead protector and his supply pouch, which contained the standard ninja equipment, on his desk. Naruto tied the former around his forehead and the latter around his right thigh. He was now ready for his first day as a true ninja. Today he would take the first steps towards glory and gain everyone's respect.

Feeling thirsty he walked into the kitchen, took a bottle of milk out of the refrigerator, and brought it close to his mouth, but stopped when a foul stench entered his nose. "Ew! Rotten milk!", the boy screamed, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the smell. His senses were far more developed than those of an average human. He threw it into the trash can and took a sip of orange juice instead. Afterwards, Naruto left his apartment and set off to the academy.

While walking through the busy streets of Konoha with his hands folded behind the back of his head, for once gaining looks of utter surprise from the people instead of hate-filled glares and occasionally a longing glance from some girls in his age group, he recalled yesterday's events.

* * *

**Flashback**

Naruto, dressed in his orange jumpsuit since he wanted to surprise everyone with his new suit tomorrow, sat in front of the Hokage and one of his secretaries in a room located within the academy. "Is everything alright, Jiji? Can I go now?"

Hiruzen checked the ninja registration form one last time and looked intently at the photo that Naruto had brought with him in which he wore a strange black suit and a serious expression on his face, a Konoha forehead protector proudly adorning his brow. 'I have the feeling that with each passing day you are getting more similar to Minato-kun.', he pondered, gave the document to his secretary, and replied "Everything is perfectly fine, Naruto."

"Alright, I will take my leave then.", the boy said and stood up. He walked up to the door and waved goodbye before he left.

"See you later, Jiji."

"Goodbye Naruto."

Shortly afterwards a boy wearing an odd grey hat with a hole where his brown hair to stuck out, a yellow shirt with the village symbol in red, grey shorts, and a long blue scarf bumped into him and simply continued running without apologizing. Turning and watching his retreating form Naruto frowned "Hmpf, rude kid."

"You are still just a child yourself. Besides, that  _kid_  is the  _honorable grandson_  of  _Hokage-sama_  and you will address him as such. He doesn't need to apologize to the likes of  _you_.", an obviously angry male voice spat and Naruto turned around to look at its source. He saw a man wearing a grey overall, sunglasses, and a bandanna covering his hair with a forehead protector attached to its front.

"And you are?", Naruto, not intimidated in the least, calmly asked the person, who adjusted his glasses in response, revealing the hate for him in a glare, which he had seen so often in the eyes of others and has grown accustomed to it by now. But he didn't really need to see it in the man's eyes or hear the tone in his voice to recognize this hatred. Two months ago, Naruto discovered that he somehow could  _feel_  the emotions of others in his proximity with some sort of additional sense.

The man replied in a low threatening voice. "I don't feel like telling you my name dem... troublemaker. Just a piece of advice. Stay away from the honorable grandson or...", Ebisu stopped when he felt the air around the boy shift, who looked at him coldly in the eyes.

"Or what?", the boy scowled.

'This is strange.', Ebisu observed. He saw how the blonde normally reacted to such threats from afar, either closing his eyes and smiling at you or telling you that once he became Hokage you would have to look up to him. Was the demon showing his true face now? 'I have to solve this peacefully before the situation gets out of hand.', he concluded, not wanting to anger the beast further and replied in an apologizing voice "You know, never mind. Just stay away from him.", and went after Konohamaru to scold his rebellious pupil for not listening to his wisdom.

Konohamaru Sarutobi has so much potential, but that wasn't really surprising. He was the grandson of a Kage and originates from the highly respected Sarutobi clan, renown and feared across the elemental continent for their mastery over the fire element, easily rivaling, if not surpassing, that of the now almost extinct Uchiha clan and with the help of a teacher like him, who only trained the elites, Konohamaru will surely become the next Hokage and not this dead-last dropout.

**Flashback End**

* * *

Naruto had enough! Enough of getting pushed around, the fake smiles, and pretending to be someone he wasn't. No one would treat him like dirt anymore, he won't be the victim any longer. After all, who would respect somebody who turns the other cheek after getting slapped?

At long last he reached the door leading into his former classroom, opened it, confidently entered the room and took in the reaction of everyone present, who all stopped what they were previously doing to take a look at the intruder.

Naruto received a great variety of responses. Shino simply adjusted his glasses and nodded to himself, as if he had confirmed a theory. Shikamaru just turned his head, which was resting on his desk, and muttered "Why are blond people always so troublesome?", before drifting back into his dream world. The majority of the girls just spared him a short glance and quickly turned back to admire their object of desire, who stared impassively at him, masking his confusion.

'What are you up to, dope? A new demeanour and ridiculous outfit? Are you trying to pull a prank?', Sasuke mused. His gaze rested on Naruto's forehead protector and he shared the same unspoken question as everyone else who saw it, except Shino and Shikamaru 'How did you graduate anyway?'

The class had to wait what felt like an eternity until Iruka finally came back to test the next student when they took the graduation exam. All had assumed that Naruto cried his eyes out on Iruka's shoulder or argued with the teacher because he failed.

A few girls seemed to be mesmerized by his new look, especially Hinata, who turned red as a tomato. Most of the boys however began to snicker and some couldn't contain their laughter anymore.

"Pfft Haha look at him! Hey Naruto! Are you going to propose to Sakura today or why are you wearing that suit?! If that's the case let me tell you something. Spare yourself the shame and leave now before she crushes your heart once and for all. You have ridiculed yourself enough already.", Kiba mocked as he wiped some tears from his eyes and Akamaru barked in agreement.

"First off, I'm not interested in that pink-haired banshee anymore. Second my outfit isn't ridiculous, it's awesome, and third, if you would bother to look at my forehead you would see that  _I am_  a ninja now, just like you. I'm here to serve my village to the best of my abilities and take on missions assigned to me.", Naruto countered, pointing his thumb at his forehead protector and walked to the next free seat available, which was next to Sasuke. He sat down, crossed his arms in front of his chest, folded his legs, and closed his eyes, waiting for Iruka to arrive.

Everybody's jaw dropped and they looked at him with eyes as wide as saucers, even Akamaru. In the silence that followed one would have heard the proverbial pin drop.

'N-Naruto-k-kun? is that re-really y-you?', Hinata thought. She couldn't believe her ears. Naruto would  _never_  say something mean about Sakura and the girl was tempted to use her  _ **Byakugan**_  so she could convict this person to be an imposter, but was distracted by the entrance of Sakura and Ino, who apparently raced to the classroom, and their  _loud_  argument about who had entered the room first.

'Oh no! They passed too?! Will this nightmare ever end?! Does this village have any standards at all?', Sasuke cried inwardly upon seeing the duo. He truly despised the annoying creatures known as his fangirls. To him they are just superficial, immature, and weak little girls living in a fantasy world, only attracted to his looks, skill, and noble heritage, and these two were by far the worst of them.

Sakura and Ino spotted their crush and walked up to him. Seeing someone else sitting next to him Sakura roughly tapped the seemingly sleeping person's shoulder. "Hey you! Move aside! I'm going to sit next to Sasuke-kun!", she shrieked to which Ino promptly protested, placing her hands on her hips, huffing.

"In your dreams forehead girl! I'm sitting next to him!", she scowled and moved closer to her rival's face. A small crowd was gathering around them, Naruto's words from before already forgotten.

"First come first serve,  _Ino pig_!", Sakura met her gaze fiercely, not intimidated, and ready to fight for her crush.  **'You will fall before me, Ino pig. In the end true love will triumph. Sasuke-kun is mine! Mine! Shannaro!'** , her inner persona threw in, not that anyone aside from Sakura could hear her anyway.

"Would you two be so kind and quiet down...  _please_!", Naruto told them while he held his ringing ears.

_"Naruto_? Is that really you?", both exclaimed in a mix of shock and confusion, but this person had to be Naruto since no one else they knew had whisker marks on their face. They were stunned by his appearance, especially Ino, who blushed slightly, barely noticable.

She liked pale skinned, dark-haired, and dark-eyed boys the most, but was also attracted to blond ones to a smaller extend, who aside from members of her own clan were a very rare sight in Konoha. She had to admit that he looked fairly attractive without that hideous bright orange jumpsuit that screamed  _'Here I am, kill me'_. Yes, black suited him quite well and his intense ocean blue eyes, reflecting strength and confidence, which she never really noticed before due to that blinding orange jumpsuit he usually wore, were mesmerizing indeed.

"Hmpf, trying to act as cool as Sasuke-kun to impress me, aren't you,  _idiot_? It doesn't work! When will you annoying fool ever learn? For years I tried to  _beat_  my point into your head, but you won't listen. You always keep getting in my way. So I will tell it one last time in a way even a complete retard like you should be able to understand.  **Listen well, I...don't...love...you and I** ** _never_** **will! Not only are you annoying, but disgusting too!**  Now move aside or I will make you!", Sakura ranted, clenched her fists, and pulled her right arm back threateningly.

The whole class was watching their exchange intently, waiting for Naruto to react. Only Chōji inhaling his chips could be heard, who ate them at a constantly increasing rate.

'Troublesome woman.'

'N-Naruto-kun.'

'You truly have changed, Sakura. You didn't have to tell him that in such cruel way!', Ino glowered at her rival and former best friend. She wasn't fond of the annoying blonde, but no one deserved such a cruel rejection. She knew from Sasuke's constant rejection of her feelings how much it can hurt and if he broke down she would comfort him afterwards. Sakura crossed a line. However, much to her surprise Naruto fiercely glared back at Sakura with icy blue eyes that send a chill down her spine.

"I'm warning you. Try to hit me and you are going to regret it for the rest of your miserable life. I guarantee that!", he growled menacingly. With his additional sense he could feel her hatred towards him in a way a person without it can't comprehend.

A vein popped on her forehead. 'Who does he think he is, speaking to me like that?! He needs to be tought a lesson! I'm going to put you in your place, shannaro!' Her eyes were flaring with rage now and she spoke without thinking. "You... You dare talk to me like that! Didn't your parents teach you how to speak to a girl? Haha, oh wait, that's right you don't have any..."

"Sakura, shut your mouth at once or I will make you!", Sasuke snapped and defended Naruto, much to everyone's surprise, including Naruto himself, who raised an eyebrow at him, feeling his inner turmoil.

Sakura's eyes widened and she hurriedly tried to defend herself. "B-But he... "

Before she could elaborate any further Iruka entered with a document in hand. He felt the tension in the air and was quick to disperse the crowd with the help of his  ** _Big Head no Jutsu_**.

"From today onward you are official genin of Konohagakure no Sato and regarded as legal adults. You have a hard journey lying ahead of you, but you don't have to walk the path alone. We believe in teamwork and as it is tradition in our village we will form three-man teams led by a jōnin-sensei..."

Everybody was now eying the others. Shikamaru already had a strong suspicion about how his team will be composed of and sighed. 'What a drag.'

'Hn, I don't need others standing in my way. I have a goal I must accomplish.', suddenly, a gruesome image entered Sasuke's mind, making him pale. Sakura clinging onto his left arm and Ino on his right, shouting  _'Sasuke-kun'_  into his ears. 'No!'

'Kami-sama. Please let me be on Sasuke-kun's team.'

'Naruto-kun, Naruto-kun, Naruto-kun, Naruto-kun...'

'I don't really care as long as Sakura isn't on my team. After her stunt I honestly don't want to see her face ever again.', Naruto mused.

"...Listen well to his or her teachings for only few ninja reach the rank of jōnin or higher, hence they are very skilled shinobi. Hokage-sama and I arranged the teams. We tried to balance them out. Now, pay attention. Team 1..."

"Team 7: Naruto Uzumaki..."

That got him said genin's full attention.

"Hinata Hyūga..."

The heiress of the Hyūga clan was questioning the world around her. Hinata made a seal under her desk to help her activate her kekkei genkai  **'** ** _Byakugan_** **!'**  The veins near her temples bulged and she analyzed her surroundings 'This i-isn't a d-dream and neither a g-genjutsu! It's r-real!' After she confirmed reality she shut her dōjutsu off and cheered internally 'I'm on Naruto-kun's team!' Her  _crush_  on him was still grand and this new Naruto aroused her curiosity.

"... and Sasuke Uchiha."

Ino was sad and hung her head low. Sakura on the other hand was completely devastated and on the verge of tears. The pinkette knew there was nothing she could do to change the teams.

Sasuke exhaled deeply. That hellish vision, only surpassed by the genjutsu his brother casted on him on that fateful night, didn't become reality. To be honest, he was pleased. The new Naruto seemed to be a calm person, a character trait which made him much more likable in his opinion than before, and that Hyūga girl too.

'Hmm Hyūga', he pondered. The Uchiha and Hyūga have been rivals for generations, even before the village itself had been founded. However, he was neither interested in continuing old feuds nor have they caused him any harm. All his hate was solely focused on his  _brother_. Sasuke searched for the inconspicuous girl and found her sitting a row behind him to his right.

She wore a thick furry hooded-jacket with a fire emblem on each upper sleeve, despite the usually high temperature in Konoha. Furthermore, she had short dark blue hair with chin-length strands framing her face and her blue forehead protector was tied around her neck.

Finally, his eyes rested on her almost featureless white orbs that had a tint of lavender in them he observed with his keen eyes, granted by his lineage, and something else... the  ** _Byakugan_**. According to persistent rumors the  ** _Sharingan_**  evolved out of the  ** _Byakugan_**. At that he snorted internally. There was simply no way this could be true, but he had to admit that both their dōjutsu shared some similarities from the facts he knew.

However, there was one trait the  ** _Byakugan_**  blessed its wielder with that he truly  _envied_. Sasuke would never openly admit that of course. This dōjutsu doesn't need to be awakened.  _Every_  Hyūga could activate it the moment they learn how to mould chakra, whereas he didn't have the slightest idea how to awaken his  ** _Sharingan_**. His accursed  _brother_  mastered it at age of  _eight_  and he was  _twelve_! Day after day he's falling behind and his  _brother_  keeps getting stronger! Lately, his progress additionally became stunned and no matter how hard he trained on his own he wasn't getting significantly stronger.

Hinata met Sasuke's piercing analytical gaze for a second and immediately averted her eyes. She could never directly look into other people's eyes for too long. Months ago, Naruto looked at her in a similar manner and she fainted. He obviously wanted to tell her something, but they were all alone and so close and to her shame she passed out. 'W-Why? Why a-am I so w-weak? Why am I a f-failure? Why c-can't I be as s-strong as N-Naruto-k-kun?'

"Team 8: Sakura Haruno..."

The mentioned kunoichi didn't pay attention anymore. Her world has broken down. She wouldn't be able to spend much time with Sasuke anymore and on top of that he seemed to be really upset with her, even threatened to _shut her mouth_.

"Kiba Inuzuka..."

"Why do I have to be on a team as  _her_.", Kiba protested loudly, stood up, and pointed at Sakura. Her little speech made him lose any respect he held for her, which was only a tiny amount since she always insulted him and told him to take a bath. Even Ino didn't feel the need to defend her against Kiba.

" **Silence!**  The team arrangements are final. Last member of Team 8 is Shino Aburame."

Shino had similar thoughts as Kiba, but didn't voice them and remained impassive. Sakura hated his bugs, thus him even more, because he let them live inside his body like all the other Aburame and based his techniques on them. She had insulted him more than once on several occasions and he didn't look forward to working with her.

"Team 9 is still in circulation. Team 10: Ino Yamanaka..."

"Shikamaru Nara..."

"and Chōji Akimichi."

Ino rolled her eyes 'Great, I got fatso and the lazy bum.' One thing was for certain. If she was already stuck with them she would take command!

Shikamaru and Chōji were glad to be on the same team due to their deep friendship, but at the same time didn't look forward to it because of Ino's bossy attitude.

"Your sensei will arrive in the afternoon. You can take a break now. My last words as your instructor are the following. Keep the  _Hi no Ishi (Will of Fire)_  in your hearts and wear your headband with pride. Dismissed."

* * *

Sakura was currently searching for Sasuke. None of her teammates wanted her company and shot her dirty looks, at least she thought Shino did so. That guy was just creepy and Kiba's dog growled at her. Therefore she just went off by herself. Eventually, she found him sitting alone on a bench, eating some rice balls.

Sasuke was enjoying the peace. Normally, a horde of fangirls would surround him during the breaks, professing their  _undying love_  for him, and offer him self-made meals. He was glad that his academy days were finally over. Naruto went off somewhere by himself, probably to that ramen shop he was always bragging about in the past, and Hinata disappeared shortly after the blonde left. He didn't mind though. Why did they have put him on a team anyway? He was the  _Rookie of the Year_ , the last loyal  _Uchiha_ , the best of the best, and doesn't need a team's support. On the contrary, others would just hinder him. Sasuke took a bite out of his rice ball as his keen senses suddenly registered someone approaching him.

"S-Sasuke-kun? Please c-can we talk for a m-moment."

Gulping down the boy turned his head to look at her and said in an annoyed tone "What do you want? Make it quick." He didn't want to deal with her right now.

"I don't know what I did to upset you this much, but I want to apologize to you, Sasuke-kun I...", she began until he cut her off with a dark stare.

"It's not me you should apologize to.  **It's Naruto!** "

"S-Sasuke-kun? W-What's wrong?" She was shocked at his outburst. Sakura never saw him losing his temper like that.

"You are only caring about your own feelings and don't seem to realize how much your comment about him having no parents hurt him. But I don't expect a spoiled ignorant girl like you to understand. You don't know the pain of loneliness as he and I do. You called him disgusting and annoying. Let me tell you this. It is you who is disgusting and annoying!"

Tears were streaming down her face and she was trembling, holding her hands folded in front of her heart. 'I-Is this how Naruto is feeling?... No, Sasuke-kun is right. I don't have the slightest idea how he's feeling. I must find him!'

"D-Do y-you know... w-where he i-is?", she managed to stutter out between sobs.

Having regained his cool he coldly replied "I think you can find him at that ramen shop... Ichiraku's I think. Now, get out of my sight."

Sakura ran off to find Naruto and Sasuke resumed to eat.

* * *

"So, the Hyūga heiress and the Uchiha boy are on your team. How do you feel about that?", Teuchi asked their number one customer after he put his fourth bowl of miso ramen in front of him, who just shrugged in response.

"I would have prefered Shikamaru and Chōji, but I don't really care and neither will I complain to the old man. However, I can't understand Iruka-sensei's and Jiji's reasoning for putting us together in a team. Iruka-sensei said they tried to balance the teams, though, I fail see how that's the case with my team. The bastard is  _Rookie of the Year_ , Hinata graduated as the second best kunoichi right after  _Sakura_  and they know that I'm much stronger than the records indicate."

Teuchi noticed the tone in which he spoke that girl's name and of course knew that she was his former crush. She must have really angered him.

"Hmm maybe they haven't based their decisions on strength and skill alone and there is a hidden meaning behind this decision.", Ayame mused, scratching her chin in deep thought. Despite just having received a basic education she was a very intelligent girl with a sharp mind. Naruto enjoyed discussing with her.

"Yea, you are probably right, Ayame-neechan.", he agreed and prepared himself to eat the steaming bowl of precious ramen in front of him. The boy took a good sniff, his mouth began to water, and he licked his lips. "Itadaki...", he began but stopped as he suddenly sensed great emotional distress behind him. Turning around Naruto saw a panting and weeping Sakura with puffy red eyes and frowned at her.

"What do  _you_  want?"

"N-Naruto p-p-please forgive m-me for treating you s-so badly. I-I had n-no idea how m-much I h-hurt you.", she said while bending forward in a bow, her tears hitting the ground. Teuchi and Ayame were watching their exchange intently.

"Why the sudden change of mind?"

"I-I spoke with S-Sasuke-kun a-and..."

"So you are apologizing because of him?!"

**"No! I mean it!"** , she got up and stood straight, looking determined into his eyes.

'She's honest, I can feel it.' The silence that followed was broken by a loud growling noise from Sakura's stomach, who turned red in embarrassment and tried to hide her face behind her hands. She was dieting frequently and skipped today's breakfast without her mother knowing. Suddenly, an appetizing smell entered her nose. She took her hands down and saw Naruto offering her his ramen.

He saw her questioning look, smiled warmly, and said "You are obviously very hungry. I invite you. Don't worry, I already ate three bowls and can wait for the next one a while longer. I accept your apology, so please stop crying, I hate to see girls cry."

Teuchi and Ayame smiled at this scene. Sakura returned Naruto's smile and wiped away her tears "T-Thank you, Naruto...-kun." She accepted the bowl gratefully, sat down next to him and huffed "Don't get the wrong idea. This is not a date."

"Alright. No date then. Just eating with a friend."

* * *

Both ate for while, but still kept track of time and to his surprise Sakura actually ate  _four_  bowls and told Teuchi she would visit Ichiraku's frequently in the future. They talked about literally anything, learning a lot about the other in the process and Sasuke eventually became the topic. Naruto avoided calling him bastard in her presence, but nonetheless told her that he doesn't hold him in high regards.

"Do I get this right? You gave up your wonderful friendship with Ino because of a guy?", Ayame asked unbelievingly and shook her head.

"It's not just  _any_  guy!", Sakura hurriedly defended herself.

"Well, be that as it may. Did it not occur to you that you might have hurt Ino's feelings as well? A guy should be no reason to end a friendship. Who is saying you can't still be friends with her? Don't you miss the happy times you had together?", Ayame countered, giving the pinkette something to think about.

Memories were flooding her mind. Sakura remembered the day when she was all alone, crying and so ashamed of her forehead until Ino came into her life, who cheered her up and gave her a red ribbon to draw attention away from her forehead, which she returned to her later on and would take it back once she defeats her. Ino gave her confidence on more than one occasion and stood up for her against those who bullied her. That's why she admired Ino so much. Sakura wanted to be just like her. To have the same confidence in herself. No! She wanted to surpass her and  _'blossom into a beautiful flower'_  as Ino had put it back then.

Being able to sense emotions all the time of those in your proximity wasn't easy. Naruto sensed the flood of Sakura's overwhelming emotions and it was beginning to make him feel dizzy. Hopefully he will learn how to control his ability.

"Well...  _maybe_  I could spend some time with her again, for the old times' sake. But I won't hand Sasuke-kun over to her without a fight!", she declared confidently, but hung her head low afterwards "I just wish I could grow stronger. I have no clan to support me, my stamina is far below average, and I have no secret family jutsu like Ino."

"Hey...", she heard Naruto say softly and turned to face him, who put his right index finger on her forehead and spoke "That may be the case, but you have something far more valuable than that. You are a very bright girl with a sharp mind. Put it to use and no one will be able to stop you. Furthermore, you can still train your body. Better late than never and ask me or your sensei for help. I'm there for you, dattebayo."

She blushed at the contact and his encouraging words. After he took his finger away she nudged him playfully on his shoulder. "N-Naruto-kun. You...You are true friend, you know." In his presence she felt like back then with Ino. 'I was so wrong about you! You are a great person, shannaro.'

"Hehe Thank you. Let's go or we will miss our team briefing.", he replied while grinning and scratching the back of his neck, also blushing slightly. It felt good to finally have a friend in his age group.

"Until next time, Teuchi, Ayame-chan(-neechan)!", Sakura and Naruto exclaimed simultaneously, waved them goodbye and headed for the academy at a moderate pace.

* * *

"So this is where Naruto lives? With all due respect, Hokage-sama. With all the money his parents left behind he could have grown up much better."

"True, Kakashi, but I didn't want to spoil him and teach him the value of money and I think it was quite successful. I will personally hand him over his inheritance when he either becomes a jōnin or turns 21. Sadly though, only money, some pictures, and  _the_  special items are left of their possessions. A shame their compound and all its secrets have been destroyed during the beast's attack.", Hiruzen responded cryptically, because there were no privacy seals in Naruto's apartment and mulled over what was left of Minato's and Kushina's legacy.

'The key to Naruto's seal is protected by the scroll toad Gerotora, who in turn is guarded by Jiraiya. Furthermore, thirty-one of Minato-kun's  _and_  Kushina's Hiraishin-Kunai have been found in the forest and ruins.'

People tend to give Minato  _all_  the credit. He was a genius in fūinjutsu, no doubt, far surpassing Hiruzen's and Jiraiya's knowledge, but he was no Uzumaki. He had discovered the principle of the jutsu and created most of the seal on his own. However, only thanks to Kushina's help was he able to complete the final steps in such a short amount of time.

'Jiraiya will take Naruto on as his apprentice and teach him everything he knows about fūinjutsu when he becomes a chūnin. I hope it will be enough so Naruto can figure out how it works once I hand him over the Hiraishin-Kunai.'

Minato indeed taught three others the jutsu, his bodyguards, Genma Shiranui, Raidō Namiashi, and Iwashi Tatami. But it's just a  _heavily_  downgraded version and requires all three of them to perform it.

'I urged them to write the  ** _Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique)_**  down in the  _Fūin no Sho (Scroll of Sealing)_ , but they didn't listen to me and thought the only save place to keep this secret was their own mind, just like Tobirama-sensei didn't listen to Hashirama-sensei and refused to write it down in fear it might fall into wrong hands. Besides, both wanted to make it the  _Hiden_ _(secret family jutsu, that are passed down orally to the next generation)_  of the Namikaze-Uzumaki family and now our only hope in reviving this technique lies in Naruto.'

The now revealed Kakashi saw one of Naruto's suits lying on his bed and remarked "He definitely has an interesting sense of fashion."

"Ha, so do you, Kakashi. I'm entrusting him to you now. I have great faith in you, especially since you were  _his_  student, but make sure not to neglect the other two. You are the only one who can teach Sasuke how to properly utilize the  ** _Sharingan_**  and if Hiashi or Kurenai hear that you neglect Hinata your life will become a living nightmare."

At the last part Kakashi paled. Hiashi, in contrast to popular belief, loved his daughters more than anything else, but was unable to express his feelings since his wife died, and Kurenai, who tutored Hinata at home, already hated him for his...  _hobbies_. Hiashi's mastery over the jūken (Gentle Fist) and Kurenai's genjutsu were a frightening force to face.

"Furthermore, Sasuke's mindset is troubling. You have to keep an eye out for him and I fear Naruto has become too confident in his abilities. Don't let the academy records fool you. He's no ordinary genin and has a lot of surprises hidden up his sleeve."

"Sounds troublesome. Well, they first have to pass  _my_  test."

Both left the apartment and Kakashi went off to the memorial stone to show Obito, Rin, Minato-sensei and Kushina his respect. His unofficial students will have to wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why swap Hinata with Sakura?
> 
> I think Kurenai is the best jōnin sensei to mold Sakura into the kunoichi she should have been and not that pitiful excuse of a ninja she became in canon. Sakura is the ideal type for not only med, but also for genjutsu and Kurenai is currently the best genjutsu user in Konoha. Kakashi is probably not that far behind in this area though. The Byakugan is practical for scouting, yes, but the jūken all the more for an all out frontline team, which Team Seven is supposed to be. Shino is not suited for a heavy combat team. Kiba... maybe, but I didn't want an all-dude team. Ino, Shikamaru, and Chōji were out of the question for Team Seven, because the higher-ups would never forgo this battle-proven formation, except in stories where they act very OOC.


	5. Comrades

**Chapter 5 - Comrades**

'Three hours!', Sasuke thought angrily. The only outward sign that expressed his discontent was the slight twitching of his left eyebrow every now and then. His patience was running thin! He could have already started training with his jōnin-sensei. But no, here he was, sitting still with his hands folded before his chin, elbows resting on his desk, wasting precious time, falling further behind his  _brother_.

All the other jōnin-sensei already picked up their teams long ago. In his opinion, they didn't look powerful at all. Was that really the  _elite_  of the village? Among them was also a beautiful black-haired woman whose unique eyes intrigued him. They were red, just like the  _ **Sharingan**_ , only without the tomoe. Could she be distantly related to his clan? Probably not or she would have contacted him by now.

He, the Hyūga girl... Hinata, he faintly remembered, and Naruto were the only ones left in the room. Even Iruka left about an hour ago. The blonde didn't seem to care that their jōnin-sensei was late and currently  _meditated_  on the ground, something he never thought someone so hyperactive only a few days before would do. What also surprised him was that Naruto returned together with Sakura, walking beside her as if nothing had happened between them. On the contrary, both were happily smiling and laughing, confusing the others, especially the rest of Squad Eight. As for Hinata, the girl was sitting in the last row, apparently happy to watch Naruto sitting still as a stone if that slight pink tint on her cheeks was any indication.

'Does she have a crush on him? It  _seems_  so.', Sasuke wondered. He never paid attention to the inconspicuous girl, or other girls for that matter, and had assumed she was secretly just another one of his fangirls. 'Is he even aware of her infatuation? Wait... why am I even thinking about that anyway? Probably out of boredom.' His train of thought was suddenly interrupted by someone opening the door, resulting in all three pairs of eyes to look at the intruder.

"Team Seven?", inquired a tall man, dressed in Konoha's standard shinobi uniform, with what they  _presumed_  was a bored expression. The entire lower-half of his face was covered by a mask, his gravity-defying spiky hair was silvery-white in color, and he wore his forehead protector tilted over his left eye.

'Did he lose his left eye in battle?', Naruto and Sasuke thought simultaneously.

'S-So this i-is my s-sensei.', Hinata pondered in concern and a tiny amount of fear which she tried to hide. He looked strict! She wished Kurenai, who had fetched Squad Eight and gave her a sad and apologizing glance before she left, would have been her squad leader. Kurenai was kind, patient, and  _never_ punished her. The total opposite of her father. She feared this man would act like her father. At that thought she began to tremble and shrink into her coat, which didn't go unnoticed by the keen eye of Kakashi.  _(Naruto is too far away from her to feel her fear.)_

After all three nodded he continued "My first impression is... you three don't look like much, especially the one in the ridiculous suit." to which Naruto frowned.

Sasuke scowled. " _Sensei_ , why are you three hours late?!", he asked in a slightly raised voice due to his accumulated rage.

Kakashi just scratched the back of his neck in response and gave him his eye-smile. "Haha. Well, I umm... got lost on the road of life.", was his lame excuse that caused Sasuke to grit his teeth in anger and the other two to sweat drop.

'Is he really a jōnin?', they thought in unison.

"Enough of this chit-chat! Follow me so we can introduce ourselves properly in a more comfortable environment.", Kakashi ordered and everyone followed his lead. Hinata kept some distance and looked downwards.

* * *

Everyone arrived on the roof of the academy. Kakashi leaned lazily against the railing, whereas his would-be students sat in front of him on a staircase, a good distance away. Naruto, arms crossed, legs folded, and eyes closed, sat in the middle, flanked by a nervous and slightly blushing Hinata to his right and an impassive looking, but furious on the inside, Sasuke to his left.

Kakashi clasped his hands together to get their attention and began to speak. "Alright, let's introduce ourselves. Give us your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and a dream for the future. Any volunteers?"

Hinata fixed the ground and tapped her index fingers together, Sasuke grunted, questioning the meaning of this pointless waste of time.

Naruto sighed and opened his eyes. "I will start then...", he began in a calm voice and everyone looked expectantly at him, especially Hinata, who wanted to learn more about this new Naruto.

"My name is  _Naruto Uzumaki_ , as my former classmates already know and you too from our records, sensei...", he remarked dryly, receiving a nod and grunt of acknowledgement from Sasuke and a frown from Kakashi. "Ninja Registration Number 012607...", Kakashi's frown only deepened at that.

Afterwards, Naruto smiled and continued excitedly "My likes are  _ramen_ , especially miso ramen and free ramen, nature, my outfit, training, and my precious people...", Kakashi's frown eased.

Naruto's smile vanished, his eyes grew cold and a little wet "My dislikes,  _no_ , what I  _hate_  are three things. First, is not to know  _why_  the villagers hate me and treat me as if I'm less worth than the dirt under their feet and never call me by my name. Second, not to know  _who_  my parents were and third..." He clutched his arms tightly and brought them closer to his torso as if he was hugging himself "... is to never be able to  _feel_  the love in a mother's hug or hear a father tell you that he's proud of you."

The blond boy was close to crying, shivered slightly, and breathed heavily, but with his willpower he suppressed the tears. He had to be strong! Naruto didn't know why he exposed his deepest hidden feelings to them. Maybe his subconsciousness was looking for a way to expel the pent-up grief.

'N-Naruto-kun! I'm there for y-you, d-don't cry!', the shocked and concerned Hinata wanted to desperately shout that out and comfort him, but didn't find the confidence to do so. It was like in the past when she silently observed a weeping Naruto sitting all alone on a swing in the park, from afar, hiding behind a tree, and not finding the inner strength to approach and console him.

'W-Why? He n-needs m-me more than e-ever! W-Why can't I find the s-strength?', she mused and her mind's eye projected her father towering over her, looking at her with cold uncaring eyes, telling her in a voice devote of any warmth or love that she's a failure, weak in mind and body, not worthy of the surname Hyūga. He always had such high expectations. Nothing she ever did was good enough. The fact that a  _civilian_  girl ranked first kunoichi this year and she second only added to his apparent shame of her. A Hyūga, especially the heiress, does never rank second in anything. Not to mention that she always lost against Hanabi, her little sister, and the range of her  _ **Byakugan**_  was laughed at among her peers.

'We are even more alike than I thought!', Sasuke thought while looking wide-eyed at Naruto. He remembered, with only slightly watering eyes, the happy times he had with his parents. His mother, giving him a heartwarming hug and kiss on the cheek, and his father, telling him that he was proud of him after he learned the  ** _Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)_**  and proved to be a  _true_  Uchiha, worthy to be a member of the clan, a praise he had desperately longed for since he always vanished in his  _brother's_  shadow, the genius of the Uchiha clan.

All that, forever taken away from him by his accursed  _brother_ , whom he admired and loved so much, and as if that alone wasn't torment enough Itachi even showed him his unforgivable act countless of times in a genjutsu until he passed out. Sasuke clutched his pants tightly and clenched his teeth. 'Mother, father... I'm going to avenge you and every other Uchiha he slaughtered that day! When I find him, it won't be quick and quiet like it was with you, no, it will be loud and nasty. I'm going to make his last moments so painful that the hell I'm going to send him into will feel like heaven to him! I will bathe in his blood! I hope you will see it from wherever you are. It will be  _wonderful_.'

"Naruto, if you need a short break then...", Kakashi asked softly, but was cut off by the blonde, who managed to compose himself and in his own sorrow hadn't registered Hinata's and Sasuke's inner turmoil with his additional sense.

"No, it's ok again! I'm feeling fine, sensei.", Naruto replied, took a deep breath, and shifted back into his previous posture, to which Kakashi frowned and thought 'Nothing is  _ok_! That was highly alarming! I never imagined his mental scars would run so deep. The beast could use that to influence him. Does Hokage-sama know this?'

Naruto continued happily "My hobbies are playing pranks, comparing ramen, gardening..."

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow 'Did I hear that right?  _Gardening_?'

"... discussing with Ayame-neechan and, and, I guess training. My dream for the future is to  _earn_  everyone's respect, so the people are going to name me their Hokage, dattebayo.", Naruto finished, determination burning in his eyes at the last part.

Kakashi mulled everything he observed over. 'Hmm At first he was serious, calm, and distant, then childish excited and afterwards his defense fell and he almost broke down. Behind that tough act, which I somehow believe he can actually back up, hides a fragile and hurt child, yearning  _desperately_ for love, recognition, and most importantly  _answers_. He's emotionally unstable! How will he react when he learns that his own father sealed the beast inside him? I'm definitely not looking forward to it. On that day he will need his precious people more than ever. I hope when the time comes he will see me as such... provided they pass my test. At least Naruto has a goal that keeps him going.'

"A noble dream you have, Naruto. Now, who wants next?", receiving no reaction out of the remaining two Kakashi pointed at Sasuke. "You, broody! It's your turn."

Sasuke suppressed a snarl that threatened to leave his throat and spoke calmly "My name is  _Sasuke Uchiha_. There are a lot of things I dislike, especially late sensei's...", he  _tried_  to intimidate Kakashi with a dirty look that a ninja of his calibre only deemed as cute "and I don't really like anything in particular. No hobbies. My dream, no, my  _ambitions_  are to resurrect my clan...", his expression suddenly darkened and his eyes gained an evil gleam, which made Hinata very nervous, because that look was even more frightening than her cousin's, and it put Naruto on edge from what he sensed "...and to  _kill_  a certain man."

'He's unstable too, just as Hokage-sama suspected.'

"Ok and lastly the girl.", Kakashi said and pointed at Hinata.

"Eeep", she looked around and noticed all attention was now on her. She immediately looked down, blushed, and began her introduction in a voice barely above a whisper, stuttering out "M-M-My n-name is H-Hinata Hyūga."

'Seriously?  _This_  is the clan my ancestors feared so much?', Sasuke scoffed. This was the first time he actually heard her speak... and he was not impressed.

'Why is she so afraid?', Naruto thought in surprise. The fear he sensed was overwhelming. As if she expected someone to strike her any moment.

"My likes... m-my likes are Na-Nar", her breath was getting heavier.

" _Easy_  Hinata. If you don't feel comfortable telling us the rest I won't force you.", Kakashi quickly tried to calm the panicking girl in a soft and caring voice before she would eventually hyperventilate. He was at a loss for words.  _'Hinata Hyūga lacks self-confidence'_ , how the records put it, was the understatement of the century! Kakashi fought alongside Hiashi and knew he was a good man who would die for his comrades and loved his daughters. Just what was going on behind the high walls of the Hyūga compound? He saw imprisoned and tortured people display similar behaviour.

Naruto put his hand on her soft trembling one and gave it a reassuring squeeze to calm her. "Sensei is right. You can tell us another time, dattebayo."

It seemed to work and she blushed heavily at the contact. 'N-Naruto-kun is holding m-my h-hand! His hand is so big, s-strong, and makes me feel safe.'

The blonde felt her calm down considerably and aside from embarrassment also... something else. If it was love that he had assumed she felt for him months ago he wasn't sure of because he never received that particular emotion from others in his proximity. However, he believed it resembled the feeling a child has for his older sibling.

'All three are  _mental wrecks_! Not that I'm much different though. I just learned to cope with it in my own way as time went by. At heart, despite his attitude, Naruto seems to be every bit as compassionate as Kushina. She had such a pure heart, much too good for this world, easy to hurt. And that's what I fear. Giving into your emotions was the downfall of so many ninja. In addition, the beast might use that to its advantage. Sasuke... he could become a lunatic on a killing spree if that gleam in his eyes was any indication. Hinata... I will definitely have to work on her the most and maybe talk to Hiashi, but first I need to gain her trust and that comes only with time.'

"Ahem,  _sensei_. We still don't know  _your_  name.", Sasuke threw in and Naruto let go of Hinata's hand.

"Oh, guess it's my turn then. My name is Kakashi Hatake. I don't feel like telling you my likes and dislikes. Dreams for the future hmm never really thought about that and I have a lot of hobbies."

'But, all he told us was his name... Wait, that's it! How could I have been so stupid.', Naruto wanted to facepalm. Of course, this was a test to see how much personal information they would reveal... and he failed miserably.

Kakashi clasped his hands together. "Now, tomorrow you will begin your duty and we will do a little survival training excercise you are going to love hehe."

Sasuke was loosing his cool. "What's so funny? When are you going to train me! Are you saying that I wasted more than three hours of my life, which I could have spent training, only to hear that we will meet tomorrow again?! Why don't we train  _now_  that you are here! You are a teacher, so  _teach_!"

'I didn't know you could get so emotional, Sasuke.', Naruto remarked internally and Hinata was a bit taken aback by Sasuke's outburst.

"Hehe Eager, aren't we? That's the spirit! But hold in your excitement until you hear this. Listen well, you three. Out of the twenty-seven who graduated only nine will become genin. Consequently, this exam has failure rate of sixty-six percent and those who fail will be sent back to the  _academy_."

Everyone's eyes widened at that. "But what was the graduation exam for?", Naruto tried to argue.

"Simple, to sort out the hopeless...", was Kakashi's blunt answer and he continued "You must show me what you are made of. Bring all the shinobi tools you need. Oh, before I forget, I advice to skip breakfast or you will throw up."

'I-If I f-fail I will b-be separated from N-Naruto-kun and f-father is g-going to...', she felt Naruto's strong hand enveloping hers again, who offered her a warm smile that made her blush madly, but luckily she didn't faint. 'N-Naruto-kun'

'I must prepare well, but I'm sure I can take this guy on. I could have easily beaten Mizuki, even if he had used chakra. How much stronger than Mizuki can this man be anyway?'

'I can't afford to lose! I must avenge my clan! Spending another year at this accursed academy, surrounded by fangirls, would throw me too far behind! You want to see what I'm made of, eh? I will show you! When I'm finished with you they are going to make  _me_  jōnin and send  _you_  back to the academy.', Sasuke grinned wickedly at the thought.

Suddenly, Kakashi approached all three of them, pulled out three documents, and handed those over to each of them. Hinata took it from the older ninja, mainly because Naruto still held her hand, albeit still hesitantly "All details are listed there and don't be late, ja ne.", he exclaimed with an eye-smile, waved goodbye, and vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving the youths to their own devices.

* * *

On the same evening Hiruzen had to calm a royally pissed Kurenai and displeased Hiashi, who stomped into  _his_ _office_. Hiashi was successful in maintaining a stoic façade, but failed to suppress his voice at times. Kurenai leaned with both hands on  _his desk_  and brought her face closer to his, making his hidden bodyguards twitch... they have some nerve!

He was getting angrier with every passing second since this discussion started fifteen minutes ago. Did they forget who was sitting in front of them?! However, Hiruzen kept a calm face for only two reasons. Kurenai was just overly protective of Hinata and back then he failed to negotiate another solution for the  _Hyūga incident_. This made him partially responsible for Hiashi's sorrow, who would have died years ago if it not for his brother's sacrifice.

"Hokage-sama! I urge you to give Hinata into my care while there is still time! I tutored her for years and know that a  _man_  like Kakashi, who pursues certain  _hobbies,_  cannot influence her positively. Hell, he failed all genin teams assigned to him. Failing would break her!", she argued and stared intently at him.

"Hokage-sama! I cannot approve of an  _Uchiha_  as my daughter's teammate...", Hiashi spat that clan's name as if it was poisonous, standing right next to Kurenai. "Not to mention that  _thing_ would corrupt her and...", without warning a monstrous wall of killing intent that would have killed most chūnin hit both of them, making them stagger backwards and look at the man in front of them in tremendous fear. The kind old man was completely gone, replaced by the  _Shinobi no Kami_ and the room grew deadly silent.

The Hokage fixed Kurenai with a deadly glare "I'm not going to let a freshly promoted and still wet behind the ears jōnin question  _my_  decisions. Kakashi is an honorable man! I have utmost faith in him and so should you! Not talk bad about him behind his back! You obviously would have passed Hinata, no matter her performance. Due to your behaviour I feel myself confirmed in my decision to let Kakashi take care of her and I question your leadership qualities."

After that lecture Kurenai clenched her fists, bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, and fixed the ground, she failed to convince him.

His gaze met Hiashi's, who tried to hold the stare with a with a great deal of effort and willpower, his pride wouldn't let him look away "When are you and the elders of your clan going to get over that grudge?! Sasuke and his rogue brother are the  _last_  members of the Uchiha clan. Instead of looking backwards you should look forward and be glad that your daughter has the opportunity to finally turn over a new leaf in the strained relationship between the Hyūga and Uchiha. And I will say it only this once..."

The killing intent directed now solely towards him made Hiashi struggle not to give into his fear and run "If you dare call  _Naruto_  like that in my presence again, clan head or not...  _I'm going to kill you_."

Hiashi saw Hiruzen kill him in his mind's eye and he fell on his butt, trembling. He breathed heavily and for the first time in his life he was stuttering. "I u-u-understand H-Hokage-sama." He now belonged to the small group of individuals who have experienced  _Shinobi no Kami's_  true power and lived to tell about it... he never wants to face that man's wrath ever again!

Kurenai was utterly speechless at that display of power. Hiashi was the head of the Hyūga clan, yet nothing but a child in this man's presence. She never thought that just a look of this inconspicuous old man held such power!

Hiruzen took a deep breath, calmed down visibly and regained his cool. Seriously, he was too old for this shit. 'Please Naruto, grow stronger, so I can finally leave this office.'

"Your point has been taken note of, but my decision is final. Do you have anything else to add?"

They just wordlessly shook their heads in response. Hiashi got up, his pride hurt, and both left the room quietly at a high pace.

* * *

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata arrived at the training ground simultaneously and  _early_  in the morning, the sun wasn't even up yet. They were in a clearing, surrounded by a thick forest and a river split the landscape in two. They could see a stone monument on a plateau and three logs lined up, obviously on purpose.

Sasuke and Hinata were tired, hungry, and had half-lidded eyes. Naruto on the other hand was fully awake, ready to meet any challenge. During this time in the morning he normally did his usual  _morning_ _jog_ and he would never skip breakfast, having learned from the scroll that you need to always drink, eat, and sleep plenty or you will fail at every task.

Once they had greeted each other the trio waited in silence. Sasuke was fuming! The raven-haired boy laid the backpack that he had brought with him on the ground and leaned against a log, a deep scowl on his face. That teacher was late again! Naruto wanted to save his energy and began some light warm-up exercises and Hinata rested on the grass. Her father was unusually quiet this morning as if something was on his mind and ignored her.

Unbeknownst to them, even to Naruto's highly developed senses, Kakashi was secretly watching them. 'Hmm Hinata seems not as unsure of herself as I thought, maybe because she's tired right now and doesn't register the world around her properly. Sasuke looks like he's ready to kill me and Naruto is a bundle of energy. So he didn't listen to my  _advice_. That will make it a bit more difficult.'

After what felt like an eternity he finally decided to end their misery and appeared before them in a cloud of smoke and waved lazily. "Morning!"

Sasuke snarled "Your late again! What excuse do you have this time!"

"Haha. Well, you know, a black cat kept crossing my path, trying to make me walk under a ladder, so I had to take a very long tour around the village in order to finally lose it. Oh and there was this old lady I just couldn't refuse to help out since I'm a nice guy and carried her groceries.", he answered Sasuke sheepishly.

'Does he really think we would believe that?!', they thought after they comically fell over.

"Anyway...", Kakashi pulled out an alarm clock and two bells. The former he set on top of one of the logs "I have set the clock for noon. You see those two bells here.", and let the latter ring for all to hear and tied them around his waist.

"The one who can't grab a bell before your time runs out will be tied to one of the logs, has to watch how me and the other two eat lunch..." His explanation was interrupted by Sasuke's and Hinata's growling stomachs "and will be send back to the  _academy_. Here comes the trick! If none of you grabs a bell in time you  _all_  fail and go back. Nah doesn't that sound like it will be fun?! And that's not even the best part. You can use all means necessary, meaning kunai and shuriken are  _allowed._ "

'W-What, we c-could h-hurt him and he c-could hurt u-us! I-Is he c-crazy?', Hinata thought in concern. Besides, she hadn't brought any kunai or shuriken with her.  _'A real Hyūga doesn't need such cheap tools. Our own chakra is all we need'_ , her father always told her that. There was some truth behind that arrogant statement though, because the jūken indeed provides mid-range attacks and a chakra based defense against literally anything, but those techniques are far too advanced and she doesn't know them yet, only their general principles. She was still a novice.

'That's what I wanted to hear! I will definitely get a bell and burn you into a crisp.', Sasuke already imagined the delightful smell of the burned flesh entering his nose. No one messes with  _Sasuke Uchiha_.

Naruto mulled the facts over 'Not good. He has far more experience in using weapons than me. I will have to take him out as fast as I can and use the element of surprise. I will attack him with all I have got and leave him no time to react.'

"I expect you to come at me with the intend to kill."

At this Sasuke smiled maliciously, Hinata looked unsure, and Naruto focused.

"Prepare yourselves...  **Begin!** "

Hinata and Sasuke wanted to hide in the vegetation, but stopped once they heard Naruto shout " ** _Soru (Shave)!_** "

Kakashi's lone eye widened. There was no time for a substitution and his instincts, honed by years of experience and his time in the ANBU took over. Naruto moved at extreme speed for a genin and aimed his right index finger at his windpipe.

" ** _Shigan (Finger Pistol)!_** "

The last moment Kakashi turned his body to the right, simultaneously taking a large step back, avoiding the attack. He then grabbed the wrist of the boy's outstretched arm tightly in mid-flight with his left hand and slammed his chakra enforced right elbow into Naruto's lower-right ribs. It was like being hit with a sledge-hammer and the blonde cried out in immense pain!

Kakashi let go of Naruto, who landed on his feet and clutched his hurting side with his left hand, and the jōnin made sure to build some distance between them.

The boy's face was a grimace of agony and his eyes were tightly shut. However, to his credit, he remained on his feet and just doubled over a bit. Luckily, his ribs weren't broken. They would be if Kakashi would have applied only slightly more chakra.

"Naruto-kun!", Hinata exclaimed in shock and worry at seeing him in pain. She was speechless. Her eyes were naturally so far developed that she saw how both moved in all detail. Naruto moved faster than her cousin!

'How did the dope move so incredibly fast?! I could barely see him move!', Sasuke was beginning to sweat at that display of skill. Both  _outclassed_  him in speed! While his eyes were able to trace their bodies he missed the details and Naruto's limbs became blurs. 'That's it! I will let them fight against each other and let Naruto weaken him. Furthermore, I can try to sneak up on him from behind when he struggles against Naruto. This way, I will be able to get a bell much easier! Even better, if I catch both bells at once I'm going to exchange the other one for Naruto teaching me that speed trick. The Hyūga girl can't make me stronger, I don't need her.'

Sasuke ran into the bushes to wait for the right moment to strike.

"Not bad Naruto, but it won't be that easy. You are quick on your feet. I will give you that. The question is, was that the extend of your speed?", Kakashi said and his mind began to process all the intel he had gathered from that short encounter at lightning fast speed. 'He kicked off the ground multiple times with each step in order to use the in this way generated force to augment his speed. I doubt I could do the same without the necessary training or else I would seriously damage my leg-muscles, because they are not used to the constant strain of the way he moved.'

'That thrust attack is also quite interesting. It has a lot in common with my  ** _Raikiri (Lightning Blade)_**. Focus as much force as you can into a single point, in this case physical force into your finger, and take a run-up in order to for one thing increase the power and piercing ability and for another thing to strike the enemy before he can blink. As far as I can tell from what I have observed it also shares the same weakness. It's getting more difficult to cancel the technique or change its direction the faster you become. Though, I suspect it can also be used from close range without a run-up. Who knows what else he can do with it? I don't know its limits. I need to be careful.

You were right Hokage-sama. He's full of surprises. Just where did he learn that anyway? I have never seen something like that before. Sadly, without my  ** _Sharingan_**  I can't afford to take him lightly and read my book. What else do you have at your disposal, Naruto? And what exactly are you planning, Sasuke?'

The blonde, of course, had pulled the raw force of his  ** _Shigan (Finger Pistol)_**  and intended to make Kakashi cough violently, so he could easily snatch a bell. Like Kakashi, Naruto also tried to gauge the situation.

'OW! OW! Shit! I revealed the limit of my speed to him and he can keep up. If he's even quicker than that and his strikes are always that powerful my  ** _Kami-e (Paper Art)_**  and  _ **Tekkai (Iron Mass)**_  will be useless. I still can't perform  ** _Geppō_** _ **(Moonwalk)**_  and  ** _Rankyaku (Storm Leg)_**  accordingly, but the gust of wind I  _can_  create might throw him off guard. Also, I'm at a disadvantage in the opening. I must restrict his movements.'

"Whats wrong, Naruto-kun? Do you need a break? Fine by me, feel free to take one, but remember your time is running out."

The pain already began to subside. Knowing Kakashi was right and he wasted precious time Naruto was on the offense again. He lunged at Kakashi and they exchanged a flurry of blows. Naruto's attacks were relentless and no move was wasted, but now that Kakashi knew his level of skill he adapted and matched him evenly for about a minute.

Would Kakashi fight the boy seriously, he could have overwhelmed Naruto with his superior speed and strength by now. However, he had to give his would-be students at least a chance to win and limited himself to the strongest member of the group so they would eventually realize that they can only get a bell by working together.

Kakashi kept defending himself with some difficulty and noticed that the boy was trying to take the battle into the woods. 'Trying to change the battleground to your advantage...'

Naruto jumped and aimed a kick at his head, but Kakashi caught the boy's leg, who immediately tried to retaliate with another one in midair, though before it could connect Kakashi spun and threw him into the forest 'Alright, I will play along. I want to see what Sasuke is going to do. Up till now this was a decent warm-up.'

Hinata watched the entire exchange rooted to her spot. 'W-What c-can I do? I w-would only g-get in Naruto-kun's way. I-I'm too w-weak.' As she saw Kakashi toss him into the woods she shouted in concern  **"Naruto-kun!"**  and went after them.

* * *

Before Naruto could hit the ground he backflipped, landed on his feet, and took in his surroundings. 'Perfect, I might be able to use it here.'

The place left only moderate space to move and was surrounded by tall trees and bushes, forming an almost perfect circle and the tree crowns let only little light through.

Kakashi arrived shortly afterwards, approaching the blonde till they stood a few meters apart and asked "I would say round one was a tie. Ready for round two?" to which Naruto grinned and replied "This time you won't know what hit you, dattebayo!"

Wholly unexpectedly Naruto jumped at a tree to his right and turned in midair so his feet faced it.

'Huh? What is he planning?', the jōnin thought in curiosity and put his guard up.

The blonde landed on the surface and propelled himself at another tree, then another, and another, using them as stepping-stones, every time gaining a bit more speed and leaving small yet noticeable dents in the wood, sending splinters and the sound of cracking wood through the air. Naruto used his underdeveloped  ** _Geppō_** ** _(Moonwalk)_** , that provides force, and  ** _Soru (Shave)_**  at the same time to reinforce it in order to reach a level of speed he never experienced before, performing a vastly inferior version of  ** _Kamisori (Razor)_**.

'I-Impossible!', Sasuke pondered, hiding in a bush, disbelief written all over his face. Before he could at least at least track Naruto when he used his speed trick, but now Naruto  _vanished_  from his sight. He closed his eyes and shook his head violently 'I must stop thinking such nonsense! He doesn't disappear. The dope just moves very fast. I must concentrate!'

His eyes shot open and he focused on the trees, seeing the dents getting more and more pronounced. 'Focus!... There!' For a brief moment Sasuke saw Naruto's foot and his eyes began to itch.

'Fast! This is getting dangerous, even for me.', Kakashi thought as he observed the blonde flying about a meter above him with gradually increasing difficulty, subconsciously moving his right hand closer to his face to remove his headband, but stopped. 'Wait! Am I really that out of shape?'

The speed at which Naruto moved was nothing short of amazing for a genin. However, he fought  _much_  faster opponents in the past. Did he become too lazy? Maybe he should accept Gai's challenges every now and then like in the old times, instead of tricking him into some lame competition like rock-paper-scissors.

Kakashi closed his visible eye, stretched his senses, and prepared himself. 'I must time it perfectly.'

Naruto reached his limit. The pain in his legs became almost unbearable! 'It's time' He now had built up not only enough force for the technique to have the desired effect, but also enough speed to  _definitely_  hit his sensei. His future was at stake and he had to take such extreme measures, even if that meant to possibly injure himself.

Finally, he changed the arc and propelled himself towards the highest tree, landing on its highest spot right below the tree crown. The blonde was about six meters above the ground behind his sensei and jumped at him with all his might. The force of this last jump was enough to separate the crown from the trunk! Time slowed down for both fighters.

_You must not doubt yourself! Will yourself to become as hard as iron!_

The boy remembered that phrase from the scroll and put all his training to use. Naruto formed a fist and stretched out his right arm, then hardened all his muscles as much as he could with  ** _Tekkai (Iron Mass)_**  to protect himself from the devastating force of the attack.

'He's coming from behind, above me!'

_**"Tekkai Sai (Iron Mass: Smash)!"** _

_BAM!_

Shocked blue eyes met a lone black one in slow motion. He missed!

Kakashi dodged the very last second and brought some distance between them. 'If that would have hit me...'

The ground cracked open, dust blew up, and a crater about three meters in diameter formed. Once the dust began to clear up he saw a trembling Naruto, holding his right bloody fist with his left hand. His  ** _Tekkai (Iron Mass)_**  protected him well, but a good part of the incredible force was still flowing through his body.

That last attack took an enormous toll on his body and he breathed heavily. How was he supposed to win in such a condition? 'No, no, I can't go back to the academy!'

One can take the graduation exam  _only_  three times... and he already used up the additional two exams! If he failed here, he can't become a ninja anymore! His eyes watered and a sob escaped his throat.

'N-Naruto-kun', Hinata watched everything unfold from afar, her  _ **Byakugan**_  active. She couldn't help herself and cried as he did.

Memories were flooding Naruto's mind.

'All my training... all the scraps and bruises... all my studies... all the tears I shed from the pain... all the nights at the hospital... for naught...' His tears were now flowing freely down his face. He shut his eyes tightly and clenched his fists.

**"NO!"** , Naruto cried out a desperate heart wrenching battle cry and lunged at Kakashi like a cornered animal. He put everything he had into his previous attack and was exhausted, thus the speed and strength of his strikes have lessened considerably. Moreover, his attacks resembled more wild slashes now, gone was the previous grace of his movements which made him a worthy opponent. Kakashi now had no difficulty at all to block and dodge the boy's assault.

It pained him of course to see his sensei's son suffer, however, as Naruto was now he wouldn't survive for long in the ninja world. 'He's very fast, strong, and skilled, but too cocky in his abilities and loses his cool if cornered. He believed he could end this battle quickly on his own and took me lightly without knowing the extend of my power. He used the environment to his advantage, but in his arrogance he put everything in one attack without a contingency plan, even injured himself. This mindset would get him killed quickly.'

**_" _Jūgon_  (Stern Beast)!"_ **

Naruto swung his aching bloody right fist at him with all the power he could muster in his weakened state at the speed of a  ** _Shigan (Finger Pistol)_** , which Kakashi caught in his left hand with a grunt. In the corner of his eye he saw a kunai sliding into Naruto's uninjured left hand. The boy had concealed it in his sleeve and aimed it for his abdomen.  _(Kakashi wears an armored jōnin vest. Naruto's current Shigan alone can't pierce through it.)_

Kakashi retaliated by grabbing the boy's left wrist with his free hand hard enough to make the blonde let go of the kunai, resulting in a struggle of power between the two. Both made eye contact and Kakashi saw Naruto's teary orbs flash between blue and red.

'Just as I anticipated. The beast uses his grief and rage to force its influence upon him, clouding his judgement. He's not in a right state of mind.'

'Now or never!', Sasuke thought while facing the jōnin's back and sprinted towards Kakashi at full speed to snatch a bell. Naruto couldn't possibly wear Kakashi down any further and that power struggle gave him a golden opportunity.

'Seems like you finally decided to join the fray, about time.', Kakashi had of course not forgotten about the other two.

"Sneaking up from behind to take the bells for yourself? How devious.", he declared loudly, pulled Naruto to him, causing the blonde to lose his balance, and kneed him  _extremely_  hard in the face before letting go of him. The force of Kakashi's attack was so grand that it send Naruto flying a good distance and Hinata immediately chased after him.

'Almost!' Sasuke was so close. "You keep complaining that I don't teach you anything. Well, here is my first lesson..." He heard his teacher say and already began to close his palm around the bells, but Kakashi performed a  ** _Shunshin (Body Flicker)_** , which he had prepared for during the power struggle, vanishing from view. The  _Rookie of the Year_  grabbed nothing but air and came to halt, his eyes wide in surprise. 'Huh? Where did he go?'

"In a fight, the table can turn any moment."

'Behind me!', Sasuke panicked, reached for a kunai and turned his head to spot his foe, but it was already too late to escape his impending doom.

**" _Konohagakure Hiden Taijutsu Ōgi: Sennen Goroshi_  (Leaf Village Secret Technique: One Thousand Years of Death)!"**

A moment in absolute silence passed. Suddenly, Sasuke's pain-filled cry echoed through the air. That  _technique_  send him flying through the tree crown and he fell right into the cold river. If the rage he felt right now would have been expelled as heat all the water would have evaporated in an instant, it exploded like a volcano!

No one had ever humiliated him like... that! He leaped out of the water, all red in the face from embarrassment and anger, landed on the shore, and shouted from the top of his lungs.

**"I will murder you!"**

Kakashi emerged out of the thick vegetation and held his ears, wondering if Sasuke had lost his voice after that outburst, and remarked lazily "You know, I think you have some serious anger management issues. It's not good for your health."

Sasuke was furious, yes, but he was no retard and wouldn't attack without assessing the situation first. From the fight between Naruto and Kakashi he concluded that engaging his opponent in a taijutsu match would be doomed to fail. He would have to rely on shuriken and kunai based mid to long-range attacks and his ninjutsu.

The boy made a series of hand seals that Kakashi recognized instantly, blew out a small flame, hurriedly took several shuriken out of his pouch and threw them into the slowly dispersing flame, hence the deadly projectiles went up in flames themselves.

**_"Katon: Hōsenka Tsumabeni (Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Shuriken Jutsu)!"_ **

'Hmm I didn't expect him to have enough chakra to perform such an advanced jutsu without eating breakfast nor to have such excellent control.' Knowing it wouldn't be a good idea to deflect them with his own kunai Kakashi evaded them by jumping to his right.

Sasuke had used the time this diversion granted him and ran towards his backpack from which he pulled out a folded fūma shuriken  _(the big ones)_  and began to unfold it.

"Do you think a single oversized shuriken will be enough to beat me? It's size represents your ego quite well. Are you trying to compensate for something? Maybe you are nothing but hot air after all? Mister  _Rookie of the Year_.", Kakashi taunted.

"Hn We will see,  _cyclops_.", was Sasuke's blatant answer and prepared himself to attack. He began to spin and hurled the large shuriken with all his might at his opponent's neck in order to decapitate Kakashi.

'Too easy. I honestly expected more from you, Sasuke.' Wanting to show off, making the boy lose all hope in the process, Kakashi readied himself to catch it. As the fūma shuriken came closer his lone eye narrowed at the sight of a second one hidden in the first's shadow. 'Good move, but still not good enough.' Kakashi changed his initial plan and evaded them before they could do any harm by moving to his left.

Suddenly, the jōnin heard an unexpected sound that put him on edge. He saw them changing direction and moving towards him again! 'He has wires attached to them. That's really good, Sasuke, but you can't move while you control them.'

Kakashi ducked under the deadly projectiles, hurriedly straightened himself, and sprinted towards Sasuke at low chūnin level speed. All the while Sasuke was observing Kakashi's and the two fūma shuriken's relative position with his keen eyes. 'Now!' Pulling on the strings he triggered the hidden mechanism.

_CLANG_

'What the...?', Kakashi's single eye widened in surprise and he turned his head towards the source of the worrying sound.

_BOOM_

He was greeted by two very sharp blades that detached from the two fūma shuriken and got propelled due to the mechanism flying directly towards him at high velocity! To make matters worse there was no time for a substitution! Jumping was out of the question because the raven-haired boy could bombard him with those flaming shuriken again which he can't risk to deflect with his normal kunai. Kakashi had to increase his speed to avoid them.

While his sensei was momentarily distracted Sasuke let go of the wires, executed a series of hand seals, and inhaled deeply.

_**" ** _Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu_**  (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!"** _

Additionally, a giant fireball approached Kakashi rapidly from the front now, limiting his options. Sasuke had used a lot of chakra to make it extra huge for his favourite sensei. 'You wanted to see what I'm made of. This is for you, now burn!'

Kakashi had no choice, while increasing his speed so the blades would miss him, coming the monstrous fireball dangerously close, he performed a number hand seals at unreal speed and slammed his hands onto the ground.

**_"Doton: Doryūheki (Earth Release: Mud Wall)!"_ **

A man-high and chakra enforced wall of earth rose up from the soil, taking the fireball head on, buying him time as well as obscuring him from Sasuke's view.

'What?! No! Where did that wall come from?', Sasuke thought in shock, panting heavily. That was his trump card and he was nearly out of chakra! He was running out of options! No, he won't give up and go back to the academy, especially not after what that man did to him!

Arming himself with a kunai in each hand he went around the steaming wall to face the jōnin in a final showdown, but Kakashi wasn't there. 'Where is he?'

**_"Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu (Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu)!"_ **

All of a sudden a hand grabbed his ankle and pulled him into the ground until only his head was left above the surface. The boy desperately tried to move the earth, but to no avail. Towering over him was now his sensei.

"I must say that was an impressive move, Sasuke. Making me come at you and distract me with a sound from behind while swiftly preparing an offensive jutsu at the same time, leaving me the choice to either jump out of the way to dodge the blades and expose myself to barrage of kunai and shuriken in mid-air or run faster towards certain death and be reduced to ashes."

Kakashi was sweating lightly. Partially due to the heat left in the air from Sasuke's monster of a fireball and mainly because fighting the boys was a good workout. Also, that earth-wall did cost some chakra.

'Time is almost up. What's Hinata doing by the way?', Kakashi eye-smiled, patted Sasuke's head, and went to look for her. He already had a strong suspicion where to find the girl. Behind him he could hear Sasuke rant.

"How dare you mock me, an Uchiha, like that!  **Hey!**  Come back here! I'm not finished with you! I must pass to get stronger or I will fall further behind! I'm an  _avenger_!"

* * *

Hinata knelt next to an unconscious Naruto, inspecting his injuries. His right hand looked pretty bad and blood was flowing out of his nose, which she checked and luckily it wasn't broken. She gently applied some of her medicine, made of special herbs she had collected, on his wounded right hand and face. Out of nowhere a gust of wind made some leaves circle around her...

"Hinata!", she heard a familiar stern voice bark. Turning around the girl came face to face with her father! She began to tremble at her father's tone. He looked  _extremely_  angry. She didn't do anything wrong. The last time she saw him like this were the days that followed her mother's death. Since then, he became so cold, harsh, and uncaring.

"F-F-Father?! W-What a-a-r...", she started to stammer out in great fear, but he cut her off by raising his hand.

"Quiet! Spare me your stuttering. It's pathetic! I came here to finally apply the cursed seal onto you myself!"

Her whole body was shivering and tears fell freely. "W-What?! W-Why?"

"The elders and I no longer see you fit to be the heiress of our proud clan. You are everything a perfect heiress isn't, but Hanabi is and she will take your place. Since I was part of bringing such a  _failure_  like you into this world it's my duty to do this now. I'm doing this with great pleasure and disown you to save my clan from being led into its ruin by  _you_  as the clan head.", he answered her question while looking at her with great disgust.

Those harsh words were hurting her more than any physical wound possibly could. Her heart felt as if a thousand knifes pierced into it! She buried her face into her hands and wailed like she never did before. Her heart wrenching cry of misery echoed through the forest.

* * *

Far away, Sasuke, still buried, heard her 'What on earth was that? Was that Hinata?! What is that bastard doing to her?!' That scream strongly resembled one he heard once before... his own! On that fateful night when he lost everything he cared for, causing deep buried memories to surface again.

* * *

Her father watched her without even batting an eyelash. There was only one final thing she wanted to know and asked in a raspy voice between her sobs. "D-D-D-o-o-y-y-y-o-u-u l-l-o-ve m-m-m-e?"

"No.", he answered without hesitating.

Hinata wanted  _die_  right now! Maybe if she committed  _seppuku_  he would at least not be that ashamed of her anymore.

"Now! Move away from that  _thing_  behind you and come to me, so we can commence the ritual."

She stopped crying, looked up from her hands, and frowned. "W-What did you c-call Naruto-kun?"

"Hinata! Move your useless ass here. I don't like to repeat myself! And yes, I called that  _nuisance_  behind you a  _thing_."

The girl clenched her fists, gritted her teeth in anger, and said without stuttering "Take... that... back!"

"What was that?! I won't let  _you_  tell  _me_  what to do. Besides, he is no person, just a thing.  **Now move!** ", he declared and stared her in the eyes.

**"Don't call him a thing or nuisance! His name is Naruto!"** , Hinata stared back at him and to enforce her defiance she activated her  ** _'Byakugan'_**

'Wait, this is...', she thought in suspicion, formed a hand seal and shouted  **"KAI!"** Her  _father_  slowly dissolved into thin air, but Naruto was still lying unconscious behind her. With her now active  ** _Byakugan_** she immediately spotted Kakashi leaning against a tree.

"So you managed to finally break out of my genjustu." The  ** _Magen:_**   ** _Narakumi no Jutsu (Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique)_** is a low-level genjutsu that lets the victim experience its worst hidden fears.

Hinata fixed him with a fierce glare, her once kind and caring, but now teary face reflected her immense anger now, giving Kakashi a feeling of impending doom.

'I don't like the way she's looking at me. She's quite scary!' He wasn't looking forward to a confrontation with her and would have to be extra cautious.

The jūken is a versatile and utmost deadly style, only usable to those with the  ** _Byakugan_**  due to the insight into the human chakra circulation system it grants, putting even the  _ **Sharingan**_  to shame. It focuses on inflicting internal injuries by injecting one's own chakra into the adversary's chakra pathway system, resulting often in a painful death because the chakra pathway system is closely intertwined with the functioning of the organs.

Moreover, it can also be used to close the  _tenketsu points_ , 361 chakra nodes along the pathway of the human body in order to paralyze the enemy by taking control of his chakra system or even stop the flow entirely.

As if that wasn't already enough one can expel chakra from these nodes and form tiny chakra needles, capable of cutting through chakra-based material like the chakra-strings of a ninja puppeteer. All in all, a master of this style can kill an enemy with nothing more than a light tap. Fearsome indeed.

Kakashi held his hands in front of his body in a peaceful gesture and gave her his eye-smile "Now, now, Hinata. Take a  _deep_  breath. I'm sure we can solve this peacefully. Don't you think?  _No_  need for violence. I'm... sorry, honest." He didn't knew what she saw, but after hearing that little girl's scream a pang of guilt had hit him.

The response he received was a swift palm strike aimed upwards for his sternum.

_**"Shōtei (Palm Heel Strike)!"** _

He dodged and saw the chakra which she expelled crack the wood, causing him to grimace behind his mask. The jōnin remembered stories that the veterans shared about men losing their most prized possession in the most painful way imaginable, shrieking like a fangirl, during a fight with a pissed off female Hyūga.

Kakashi couldn't use any dangerous techniques or sharp projectiles against her and tried to come up with a strategy. It was very difficult under these circumstances. Not only was her jūken deadly in offense and defense, thus close combat was out of the question, because he had no intel about her mastery over it and wouldn't take the risk, but her  ** _Byakugan_**  also posed a difficult obstacle to overcome.

It granted her an  _almost_  perfect 360 degree telescopic vision with only one tiny blind spot at the back of her neck and made it impossible to hide from her in a smoke screen, in the ground, or behind the surroundings due to her x-ray vision.

Furthermore, the agility, strength, and speed of a Hyūga's arms shouldn't be taken lightly. They can move them at blinding speed.  ** _Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clones)_** to quickly overwhelm her were an option, because the  ** _Byakugan_**  can't distinguish them from the user, but it would cost him too much precious chakra that a skilled shinobi doesn't waste if there are less exhausting options available.

Kakashi sprinted towards the wide clearing and Hinata followed him closely behind in her rage. 'She's not in the right state of mind right now. Also, she's tired and not nearly as quick on her feet as Naruto or Sasuke, giving me more time to react and prepare. I can exploit that. Time to catch a Hyūga.'

They arrived at the clearing. Sasuke, whose throat felt entirely sore from all the fire that passed through it and his screaming, saw both running past the stone wall and Kakashi came to halt before the log in the middle, looked at the clock, and thought 'One minute left.'

* * *

"Just what hit me?", Naruto questioned, holding his head with his left hand and shakily got back on his feet. 'Right! He kneed me in the face! I have to get a bell. Where is he?!', he thought and walked back to the clearing.

* * *

Kakashi turned and faced the rampaging Hyūga, provoking her by gesturing her to come at him with his right hand.

Hinata fell for it and lunged at him, preparing another devastating palm strike. Kakashi slipped into a defense stance and threw a punch at her. The girl swerved skillfully under it and hit him square in his solar plexus.

**_" _ **Shōtei**_  (Palm Heel Strike)!"_ **

Kakashi coughed up blood, dyeing his mask red, and her eyes widened in pure horror as realization dawned on her! 'W-What h-have I...'

Before she could ponder any further her  ** _Byakugan_**  told her something was off.  _Kakashi_  exploded in a puff of smoke and revealed that she had hit Sasuke's backpack, which flew away from the sheer force. Her eyes immediately registered Kakashi first twirling a metal chain and then tossing it towards her. On instinct, she turned her entire body rapidly around to face the incoming danger. However, before Hinata could act she was tied up against the log by the thick metal chain, whose end Kakashi held in his right hand, saying "Checkmate" in victory.

_Ring_

She struggled heavily against her binding, the sound of the clock above her was bombarding her eardrums, even expelled chakra from her  _tenketsu points_  in an attempt to loosen it, but to no avail. Hinata looked at Kakashi, who let go of the chain and reached into his pouch, thinking 'W-What i-is he going t-to do?'

Kakashi pulled out an orange book titled  _Icha Icha Paradise_  and started to read it. A novel she knew all to well about what was written inside! Kurenai told her to be wary of every man possessing such a book. She stared at the man in front of her in shock and blushed. Hinata, like every Hyūga, received a highly pious upbringing.

Seeing her expression Kakashi thought 'Oh come on! She's looking at me as if I'm a monster.'

Naruto approached them with his head hanging low because he heard the clock ring and knew it was all over for him.

"Naruto, dig Sasuke over there up. I have something to tell you all.", Kakashi ordered and pointed at Sasuke's head without looking up from the masterpiece of literature.

The blond boy wordlessly complied and did what he was told. Sasuke didn't find the strength to protest anymore. Like Naruto, he was devastated as well and his throat hurt. He has been humiliated and beaten into the ground... literally.

* * *

All three were now right in front of Kakashi, Hinata was still chained. To her right sat Naruto, resting his back against the other log, hugging his knees, and buried his face into his arms. Sasuke sat to her left in a similar fashion, but didn't hug his knees.

Kakashi began to speak. "I want you to listen closely. That includes you too, Naruto." Receiving no response from the boy he addressed him again. "Naruto, look at me!" Only now the blonde looked up at him. "You all failed this test and I ask you, do you know why?"

"B-Because you a-are a j-jōnin and w-we just...", Hinata reasoned and was promptly cut off.

"No! It's because you didn't realize the true purpose of this test...  _teamwork_!", at this he received questioning glances.

Naruto didn't see the logic in that and inquired "But... if there are only two bells then one of us would have still failed, even  _if_  we had used teamwork!"

"You all showed exceptional skill. Naruto, your taijutsu is amazing and you showed that you can improvise on the spot and adapt to a new situation quickly. Sasuke, I'm not too arrogant to admit it. Your move threw me completely off guard. If I were still a chūnin, you  _might_  have killed me and Hinata...", he stopped and met her gaze.

"You faced your inner demons and instead of continuing to cower in fear and cry you found the strength to face them and broke the genjutsu. I saw the look in your eyes. Aside from rage and grief that clouded your judgement at that moment I also saw a proud, strong, and fearless kunoichi..."

Hinata blushed heavily at his praise and looked down 'D-Does he r-really mean that?!' and Sasuke smirked slightly. Naruto remained a sad expression. He has been praised for his skill. And? It doesn't change the fact that he can't be a ninja anymore.

"Despite that, you all failed miserably. You failed to look underneath the underneath..."

Sasuke found something that he could argue with and maybe still pass. Having partially regained his voice he spoke up "But I worked together with Naruto and almost caught  _both_  bells."

"You think you did? No, you did exactly the same as all the genin I tested before. You put yourself before the team! Teamwork means that individuals work together in order to reach a common goal much easier. You didn't work together with Naruto, instead you  _used_  him for your own personal gain! Furthermore, you ignored Hinata the whole time, thinking she would be of no use to you and not even considered once to at least ask for her help. Such behaviour can not only get you  _killed_ , but also your entire team!  **Being a ninja is no game!**  Do you see that stone over there?"

Because of such foolish behaviour I and many others have lost their comrades forever. Those whose names are engraved in this monument have fallen in battle and are true heroes. I had to learn my lesson the hard way...", he walked up to the stone, touched a certain name 'Obito', and continued "You must be willing to bring sacrifices and put the team even before your own life. Together, you can overcome anything. Individual skill is important, yes, but teamwork so much more. Do you know how the  _Densetsu no Sannin ( _Legendary Three Ninja_ )_, all strong shinobi in their own right, earned their title?", Kakashi asked and glanced at them. They just shook their heads in response.

"... Not because of their individual abilities, but for their teamwork! If they had fought the legendary  _Sanshōuo no Hanzō (Hanzō of the Salamander)_  on their own they would have died, but they fought together, as a team, and were able to fight him to a standstill. They earned his respect, so he let them live and gave them their title."

Kakashi went back to the utterly stunned group. "Naruto, you think that you are so far ahead of your teammates and tried to fight me on your own in your arrogance. You told us that it's your dream to earn the respect of others trough your skill, but how can you expect that from others if you are not willing to do the same. You didn't acknowledge Sasuke's and Hinata's strengths and consequently never included them in your plans. Hinata, you only looked out for Naruto and completely forgot that Sasuke even existed!"

All three fixed the ground in shame. "However, you have impressed me, so I'm willing to give you one last chance once you regain some strength. It will be much harder though and I will fight you at my fullest. Naruto, Sasuke, you can eat lunch, but not Hinata. If you give her lunch you fail. That are the rules.", he declared and marched away.

'I will grant them this last chance. If they fail this time, even after I gave them so many hints, then they truly are a hopeless case.'

* * *

_Growl_

Hinata flushed in embarrassment. She was so hungry and felt exhausted. Naruto and Sasuke were eating their lunch with grim expressions on their faces.

_Growl_

Her stomach protested louder with each passing minute. It was torture for the two boys and Naruto couldn't contain himself any longer. "Argh I can't enjoy a meal while someone right next to me is hungry, but we have to eat something."

"Me too, dope, but what can we do. That are the rules he set.", Sasuke argued.

"Well, he isn't here. I can't sense him in the vicinity. Maybe we could..."

Sasuke cut him promptly off and stared at him angrily. "I hope you aren't thinking what I suspect! We won't receive another chance. If he's secretly watching then..."

"But haven't you heard what he said?! He will fight us at full strength! I believe he hasn't revealed a good portion of his power to us while we fought him.", Naruto met his gaze.

Hinata felt sad. Again, she was the reason for someone else's problems. "G-Guys. P-Please I w-will b-be o-ok."

_Growl_

"That's it! Rules or not. I won't let anybody suffer if I have the power to end his misery.", the blonde declared with determination.

"Hn you will do it, no matter what I say, will you?" One glance at Naruto's eyes told Sasuke that the blonde's mind was set and the issue wasn't arguable. He sighed in defeat "Fine dope. I agree, I can't take it any longer too. Besides, I hate to admit it, but we will need her help if we want to stand a chance."

Sasuke took a portion out of his bento between his chopsticks and hesitantly brought it close to Hinata's mouth.

"S-Sasuke?!", she exclaimed in bewilderment and all red in the face.

"C-Come on. Hurry up and eat. Who knows how long he will stay away. By the way, you can't use your arms.", he replied with his eyes closed and lightly pink cheeks. If his fangirls would know this they would hunt Hinata like harpies' for sure.

Another pair of chopsticks holding food between them appeared in front of her mouth. "Yea. The teme is right. With our combined strength he won't know what hit him. Together, we will win for sure, dattebayo!", Naruto assured and offered her a beaming smile.

'N-Naruto-kun is f-feeding m-me?! They b-both think I'm u-useful and n-need me!' Her eyes watered slightly. She always saw herself as a burden to others and never as someone valuable. Eventually, her hunger brought her out of her musings and Hinata gratefully took a bite from Sasuke and after she swallowed from Naruto. Never was food this tasty in her entire life!

_Poof_

Kakashi appeared before them with an intimidating aura surrounding him.  **"You fed her and violated my orders!"**

"Eeep!", Hinata squealed in shock.

"I told you he was watching us,  **idiot**!", Sasuke scowled at Naruto.

"Do you two have anything to say for yourselves?!", Kakashi fixed the two boys in a deadly glare.

Naruto's senses told him that something was off, but in the heat of the moment he didn't pay attention to them. "After you held that speech I truly admired you. But you are nothing but a hypocrite after all! I won't apologize for doing the right thing, dattebayo!", he defiantly glared back.

"Hn Me neither! It was the right thing to do.", Sasuke said with crossed arms, staring back.

'T-They a-are standing u-up for me! I can't let them suffer because of me!', Hinata mustered every ounce of courage she had in herself and lavender-white orbs met a single black eye  **"It's all my fault! Punish me instead of them!"**

'H-Hinata?!', both boys were stunned at the girl's self-sacrifice.

"If that's how you feel about it..." Kakashi's aura vanished and he eye-smiled "you  _pass_!"

...

"Huh?"

"Whether you would feed Hinata or not was the actual test. Remember what I said,  _'look underneath the underneath'_. All the others before you did as they were told and let their comrade behind. I'm proud of you! Always remember this, because this is the most valuable lesson I can teach you.

_In the ninja world, those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash!"_

Sasuke smirked and was inwardly touched by that speech, Naruto felt his eyes getting teary, he admired this man, and Hinata cried openly.

Kakashi untied Hinata, who had something to say and requested "S-Sensei, I... still haven't i-introduced myself f-fully."

Naruto gave her a warm smile, Sasuke a grin that would have let his fangirls faint, and Kakashi an eye-smile. All three males listened intently.

"My n-name is Hinata Hyūga.", she said much more confidently than yesterday, though she still played with her index fingers.

"My likes are Nar..." Saying that was still a bit too much for some reason, but she found a way around that and still tell the truth. "um I mean m-my team, cooking, f-flowers, and my little s-sister."

"My dislikes a-are umm... s-seafood, my s-stuttering, and my clan's  _c-cursed s-s-seal_."

Naruto and Sasuke raised an eyebrow 'Cursed seal?' However, they kept their mouths shut, not wanting to ruin her great progress. They could ask what that is another time.

"My h-hobbies are training, g-gardening, and pressing f-flowers.", at this Naruto smiled. Gardening was one of his hobbies too. "My dream for the f-future is to become a person a-as strong as my f-father and kind as my mother a-and to make my c-cousin and father r-recognize me."

Kakashi was happy that she grew so much in such a short amount of time. "Was that so bad? Now we can really call ourselves a team. I'm looking forward to teaching you."

Hinata smiled brightly.

"Hn", Sasuke gave a grunt of acknowledgement and nodded.

"We are going to be the best team ever, dattebayo.", Naruto said excitedly, feeling a bit of his younger self resurfacing. He felt great in his team's presence. Recently, more and more people became precious to him, Iruka, Sakura, and now his teammates.

Afterwards, Kakashi told his students that they would begin their duties tomorrow and dismissed Hinata and Naruto, but told Sasuke to stay for a moment. Hinata walked home with newfound self-confidence and the feeling of being part of something bigger. Naruto walked home with another lesson burned deep into his mind.

_Respect cannot be given, you must earn it._

_In the ninja world, those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash._

Kakashi gestured Sasuke to him. Student and sensei were now standing in front of the memorial stone and Sasuke addressed Kakashi for the first time with respect "What is it, Kakashi-sensei?"

"I feel it's more beneficial to tell you this right now before it results in future problems. I have earned myself a title. I'm known as  _Sharingan no Kakashi_. That's why I was chosen to be your sensei. To help you awaken and master your  ** _Sharingan_**."

"Um, come again?", Sasuke was clearly confused. The man before him was no Uchiha!

Kakashi brought his right hand to his face and pulled his headband up, revealing a fully matured  ** _Sharingan_** , which immediately predicted Sasuke's incoming attack.

He grabbed the young Uchiha's fist and quickly overwhelmed him with his superior strength, pinning him down. Kakashi now sat on Sasuke's back, his right foot rested on the boy's head, and his left hand restricted Sasuke's left arm, rendering him helpless.

"Who did you kill?! From whom did you steal it?!", he accused Kakashi angrily and tried to free himself with all his might.

"I didn't steal that eye. It was given to me."

"Liar! Argh", Kakashi applied a lot of pressure on the boy's left wrist, making him howl in agony.

"Calm down, Sasuke! If you do that I will tell you  _everything_  about how I obtained the  ** _Sharingan_**."

After a few additional seconds of struggling Sasuke finally gave up and replied "Fine! I will listen quietly, but I want to know the  _truth_  or else you are going to regret it."

Kakashi let go of him and sat down, his action was mimicked by Sasuke. He covered his eye again and began to tell his story. "This eye was given to me by Obito Uchiha..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of people question Naruto's little emotional breakdown and his loss of control during his fight with Kakashi after acting so tough. I will explain the exact reasons that led to those actions in detail.
> 
> 1\. Emotional Breakdown: Naruto is a twelve-year-old, social isolated, and mentally scarred boy. Sakura's comment about his parents, only a few hours before, indeed hurt him strongly. Sakura apologized and he forgave her, but it nonetheless resurfaced the grief he has buried deep within his heart over the years, his emotions simply overwhelmed him. While he had Hiruzen, Teuchi, and Ayame they couldn't replace the love only parents can give and neither still his thirst for answers. Moreover, they are busy with their respective jobs and consequently can't spend as much time with him as they and he would like.
> 
> 2\. Loss of control: Naruto is still an inexperienced fighter, who was never cornered before and his future was at stake. He took Kakashi too lightly from the start in his arrogance and has not only exhausted himself, but injured as well and the situation seemed hopeless. Of course, he learned that someone needs to keep his cool in battle, but to actually face such a desperate situation in real combat for the first time is an entirely different matter, no amount of training can prepare for that. Furthermore, he threw everything he had at Kakashi and it still wasn't enough. For two and a half years he endured the most agonizing training schedule possible. Naruto couldn't accept that all his hard work was for nothing. People forget that he's still a twelve-year-old boy. Growing up includes making mistakes and also learning from them. He's no Itachi, who according to Hiruzen, a reliable source, was a Hokage candidate at the age of seven. Funny thought. Seven year old Itachi as Hokage.


	6. Dark Justice Part 1

**Chapter 6 - Dark Justice Part 1**

'Wow, that was intense! Even after all this time it never gets boring. Just what would I do without my  _Icha Icha Paradise_? Please, release the sequel as soon as you can, Jiraiya-sama.', Kakashi thought once he finished reading the last line, closed the book, and put it back into his pouch.

The jōnin currently leaned against a tree from where he could oversee the same clearing where he held his bell test two months ago. He was immensely proud of his students! Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata have grown tremendously under his tutelage. Not just in their mastery of the shinobi arts and teamwork, but also as individuals.

_Clang _Clang... _Clang _Clang _Clang... _Clang______

The sound of steel clashing against steel echoed through the air. Kakashi turned his head to the left and saw Yūgao Uzuki, who owed him a big favour ever since he had intercepted a fatal blow that would have crippled her, engage Sasuke in an intense sparring session, a kenjutsu only match.

The boy was forced to either block or dodge the relentless and extremely precise swings of her katana with his much shorter tantō  _(Sai's sword)_. Kakashi as well as Yūgao think a  _chokutō (his sword in Shippūden)_  would suit him much better, but Sasuke still needs to grow before he could wield such a sword properly.

Despite using his  _ **Sharingan**_ , which he awoke two weeks ago due to the intensity of his training, enhancing his perception to inhuman levels only matched by the  ** _Byakugan_** , two tomoe in each eye, granting him the ability to predict movements, recognize genjutsu, and copy techniques, she nevertheless kept him on the defensive, leaving him neither time to counter nor to catch his breath.

Sasuke was pushing himself to the edge of his limits every day after Kakashi told him about that fateful mission to destroy the  _Kannabi Bridge_  during which Obito had sacrificed himself to save his rival. That story touched Sasuke even more than his sensei's speech about teamwork. This particular Uchiha contradicted everything his father taught him about how a  _true_ Uchiha was supposed to be, yet he managed to awaken the  ** _Sharingan_** , thus proving his worth and noble lineage, and even did the  _unthinkable_ , giving the clan's ultimate weapon to his comrade, a non-Uchiha, so he could protect this Rin girl in his stead.

At the end of the tale Sasuke was  _close_  to crying. Luckily, no one else was in the vicinity and could see this brief moment of weakness. He probably would never hear the end of it! In his opinion, this Obito Uchiha was a true hero and Sasuke took the ideals he represents to heart, making them his own, and began to train harder than ever before in order to protect his team and catch up to Naruto as well, showing amazing progress thanks to Kakashi and Yūgao.

Over time he grew quite fond of his team. Hinata was a kind girl and worked very hard to improve herself, something he greatly respected. She did  _not_  just sit idly by and watch him, drooling, as if he were a juicy piece of meat, like all his fangirls. Kakashi was a great teacher, the best he could have asked for, and he developed a friendly rivalry with Naruto too. He was growing stronger with each passing day, coming closer to his goal of avenging his clan. Everything thanks to them!

Yūgao's fierce assault eventually pushed him backwards, coming the edge of the river, which split the clearing in two, dangerously close! He hurriedly focused on emitting a constant stream of chakra from the bottom his left foot, putting his training to good use.

Kakashi taught him along with Naruto tree and water walking. His blond rival had a much harder time mastering those two basic chakra control exercises though, mainly because of his  _monstrous_  chakra reserves, and Hinata already knew how to do that, performing them with ease, much to her team's astonishment.

Raising his foot up high he drew his leg back and placed his foot on the water's surface, trying to maintain the  _exact_ _right amount_  needed as to not fall into the cold river while predicting and blocking his co-sensei's flurry of attacks at the same time. This task proved to be a bit more difficult than Sasuke expected and he had to slip his guard just for short moment to concentrate on his foot, creating an opening Yūgao was quick to mercilessly exploit.

The purple-haired ANBU aimed her katana at his head and thrust it forward extremely fast, cutting his right cheek, drawing some blood, and making him hiss in pain, however, he didn't let that miniscule scratch disturb his chakra control and leaped backwards to put some distance between them.

Sasuke had jumped with enough force to land on the other side of the river, because fighting his sensei on the water was too risky as he previously experienced and got down on one knee, using his tantō to support himself. Sweat covered his brow and soaked his clothes. He was panting and scowled at his sparring partner, who smirked gleefully in response and appeared none the worse for wear.

The Hokage allowed her to take off her mask during her time with Team Seven. Naruto was overjoyed to see her real face and expressed his gratitude for all she had done for him, confusing Sasuke and Hinata.

'Damn! I'm out of breath and still didn't manage to land a single hit. I must turn the tides, get in close, and stay within her guard, however, that's easier said than done. I just wish she would stop cutting me for every single mistake I make!', he thought in frustration and a tiny amount of anger.

Yūgao-sensei  _always_  cut him somewhere whenever he let his guard down or failed to recognize and exploit a small opening to his advantage which she intentionally offered him in her generosity once in a while. It was her reliable and prefered method of teaching someone in kenjutsu.

Well, one thing was certain, unlike the academy teachers neither Yūgao nor Kakashi handled him with kid gloves. Something he really appreciated, because it showed effect. He was gradually improving and didn't want to be pampered at all.

When he first met Yūgao he didn't think much of her, but after an embarrassing defeat and receiving many bleeding cuts Sasuke quickly changed his mind. That woman was the strongest kunoichi he encountered so far and truly amazing! In fact, right now she was actually  _toying_  with him. It was infuriating!

Sasuke wasn't sure if the few ninjutsu, mostly fire based since Kakashi only introduced him to the basics of his lightning chakra nature up till now, which he gained adequate control over, or the low-level genjutsu he now additionally had at his disposal, would be of any use in this fight. Moreover, being able to read your enemy's movements with the  ** _Sharingan_**  was basically useless if your own body can't keep up with the speed of your adversary.

As soon as he had awoken it Kakashi immediately began to teach him everything a wielder of this fearsome dōjutsu needs to know. He was honestly impressed that Kakashi figured out so much on his own, having mastered his clan's dōjutsu to such a degree that he could cast genjutsu via eye contact alone, an ability only a fully matured  ** _Sharingan_**  grants, thus being able to manipulate an opponent with subtle genjutsu and psychology to make the victim believe he could look into the future.

"Break time is over, Sasuke. Prepare yourself!", Yūgao yelled excitedly, apparently having decided her pupil had rested enough, a well-earned rest she remarked internally due to his exceptional performance so far, and dashed at him again, running towards him across the water surface at low jōnin speed and preparing a devastating chop. Overkill when fighting a genin, sure, but his surname was  _Uchiha_.

The boy's clan was renown for their dōjutsu and mastery over the fire element, still, many tend to forget that a lot of highly proficient swordsmen hailed from this clan too and she could tell just from fighting him that the blood of a potentially magnificent swordsman was running through Sasuke's veins. Besides, by utilizing his  ** _Sharingan_**  he had a major advantage over regular genin anyway.

'Your reflexes and speed have very much improved. I'm curious though, how much force can you handle?', she pondered her student's progress. The female ANBU never took on an apprentice nor did she ever teach a genin team, though, she occasionally showed rookie ANBU some tricks every now and then. Among them was also Sasuke's traitorous brother, Itachi Uchiha, whom Yūgao remembered well because he was the only Konoha shinobi who beat her in a kenjutsu only match.

She quickly realized that there was nothing she could teach him. Itachi was already an absolutely perfect polished diamond, possessing skill and wisdom far above anyone she knew except the Hokage himself, whereas Sasuke was still a proverbial diamond in the rough she could shape. Granted, the only flaw Itachi might have had was his state of mind. No one of his ANBU colleagues, including herself, could have ever imagined him going nuts, killing his entire family save for his younger brother, and disappearing in the shadows afterwards.

Kakashi watched how Sasuke hastily stood up and readied himself, expecting the worst and proven right. That incoming blow would have chopped off his leg if he didn't block and so he did, gritting his teeth in intense agony 'Fuuuck! My arm!'

Yūgao's slash was so powerful that it not only sent Sasuke reeling back several meters and nearly made him let go of his sword, but the aftermath also caused the actual blade itself and even his entire right arm to shake from the enormous force flowing through metal and limb!

As fascinating as it was seeing his raven-haired student getting his ass handed to Yūgao he was more interested in the battle that was about to start on his right where Naruto, dressed in one of his old orange jumpsuits, and Hinata faced off. Just like Sasuke, both improved immensely, Hinata more so than Naruto. The old Hinata probably wouldn't have shown up to fight Naruto or perhaps surrendered beforehand.

She was no longer an overly insecure and anxious girl. Well, she still stuttered a bit, but over the course of the last two months it lessened considerably. Besides, she wasn't ashamed of her body anymore and recently discarded her awfully warm jacket, revealing a durable short-sleeved black shirt she wore underneath that, despite covering every part of her torso, couldn't mask that Hinata had fairly well-developed breasts for such a young girl.

The more time Hinata spent with Naruto she  _slowly_  came to realize that her  _crush_  on him was actually admiration, similar to how a child admires his older sibling and not an actual romantic feeling. His high work ethic and will to never give up, no matter how hard the task ahead of him, inspired her to overcome her own limits and fears.

They stood about fifteen meters apart and as they gazed determined into each other's eyes they offered their sparring partner a warm smile. The purpose of this match was  _not_  to determine the stronger shinobi, but rather help each other refine their respective taijutsu style, hence they will of course refrain from using lethal techniques such as  _ **Rankyaku (Storm Leg)**_ , which Naruto was now capable of performing once Kakashi had introduced him to his wind chakra nature, a very rare one in Konoha and perfect for offensive types.

The blonde had mastered the leaf cutting excercise, holding a leaf between one's palms and cutting it in half using wind chakra alone, after just  _six weeks_ , a task average jōnin usually need  _six months_  to accomplish! It helped him realize that in order to do  ** _Rankyaku (Storm Leg)_** accordingly the force expelled from one's leg has to be made thin and sharp, like a blade, to send out a  _cutting_  wind.

All in all, his progress was prodigious. He even learned two C-rank wind jutsu, but to perform any higher and more destructive wind techniques without hurting himself or start training himself in the difficult art of air pressure manipulation Naruto will have to do daily chakra control exercises for quite some time due to his still horrible control.

Hinata slipped into a jūken defensive stance and activated her  ** _Byakugan_** , whose range extended from 50 to 110 meters during the last two months, making the veins near her temples bulge "I'm ready, you can c-come at me, Naruto."

Naruto nodded, preparing himself "As you wish,  ** _Jūgon Ōgi: Fukurō Dataki (Stern Beast Secret Attack: Owl Strike)_**.", and seemingly vanishing from sight, but not from Hinata's  ** _Byakugan_**.

With the help of her dōjutsu she was able to keep track of him as he circled her at insane speed, kicking off the ground eight times in the blink of an eye. She remained perfectly still and didn't panick, instead stretched her senses and focused on her opponent.

Without warning Naruto threw a punch at her right cheek, but before it could connect with her soft skin Hinata bend her head backwards, successfully avoiding the strike. There was no time to sigh in relief though as she was forced to dodge yet another one, turning her body to the left while simultaneously taking a step back as to not getting hit in her stomach.

Naruto continued to bombard her with punches from all directions, which she all gracefully evaded thanks to her extreme agility and reflexes as well as her almost perfect 360 degree vision, for a few more moments,  _drastically_  puling the sheer force of his strikes since he could very seriously hurt her otherwise, until Hinata yelled out " ** _Jūkenpō: Ichigekishin (Gentle Fist Art: Body Blow)!"_**  and expelled chakra from all her tenketsu points at once with as much power as she could muster, unleashing a mighty blast into her immediate environment.

It was strong enough to send the surprised Naruto tumbling backwards, a predicament she could exploit, and shifted her stance into one Naruto was all to familiar with. Frowning he thought 'Oh no, not this time, Hinata.'

**__"Jūkenhō:_ Hakke Sanjūni Shō ( _Gentle Fist Art:_ Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms)!"_ **

After calling out her attack the girl lunged at him with the intent to close 32 of his tenketsu points, severely hampering his chakra flow as well as inflicting a great deal of pain in the process, but Naruto was prepared. He focused on the movement of the air around him and readied his body.

**" _Kami-e (Paper Art)!"_**

"Hakke Two Hands!", Hinata aimed her outstretched index and middle fingers at his torso, but he skillfully evaded, bending around the back of her hands with incredible grace, rivaling that of a Hyūga. Not discouraged by her failed attempt to hit him she quickly pulled her arms back and proceeded to attack with two more consecutive strikes.

"Four Hands!", Hinata missed again and followed with four successive strikes.

"Eight Hands!", and she missed yet again! 'How can he be so slick? That's almost inhuman!', Hinata thought in astonishment at his display of dexterity and got ready to give it her all.

"16 Hands!", Naruto had a very hard time to either sidestep, duck under, or bend around the next extremely precise and fast seven jabs and narrowly avoided the eighth... or so it seemed. Hinata unexpectedly bend her two fingers inwards and the tip of her middle finger touched his shoulder for a split second, closing a tenketsu point and inflicting enough pain to disturb Naruto's focus. 'Gotcha!', she celebrated in her mind.

"32 Hands!", every single one of the last sixteen consecutive strikes she delivered hit their mark with such force that it sent the blonde skidding backwards some distance, knocking the wind out of him, but he managed to halt himself and only grimaced in discomfort, the pain was only half bad.

'It stings, just like last time.', he pondered and remembered his failed attempt to block that attack with his  ** _Tekkai (Iron Mass)_**  during one of their previous matches. It did absolutely nothing to protect him from a jūken strike.

Naruto looked at the panting form of Hinata, who put her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath. That powerful blast the girl had used to throw him off-balance must have cost quite some chakra and she had the lowest stamina and reserves of their team.

"You really have gotten better, Hinata, dattebayo.", the blonde complimented her.

Hinata exhaled deeply and her lips curved into a smile at her idol's praise. She looked up, her dōjutsu still activate and replied "Thank you, so have you, Naruto. Another r-round?"

"Your call.", he responded with a smirk and Hinata answered by running straight at him at full speed, ready to hit him with a non-lethal version of a basic jūken strike  _ **"Shōtei (Palm Heel Strike)!"**_.

Kakashi averted his gaze and fixed the ground in deep thought, mulling over what he just saw. 'Sasuke is gradually getting better and more versatile. Soon I will teach him several of my lighting based jutsu and once his  _ **Sharingan**_  is fully matured I'm going to intensify his training in genjutsu. It's only a matter of time until he gains the last tomoe, still, I have to beat his overly reliance on the  _ **Sharingan**_  out of his head. Furthermore,  _if_  he proves himself worthy I might be willing to let him sign my ninken (ninja dogs) summoning contract.

Making Hinata familiar with her water chakra nature worked wonders and thanks to her extraordinary control she even mastered a C-rank water jutsu already. I'm glad I could convince her to learn elemental manipulation since it's frowned upon among the members of the main house to use anything else aside from the jūken because of their foolish pride. In addition, her progress in jūken and taijutsu overall went through the roof and it looks like Hiashi started to teach her in the Hyūga clan's secret ways. However, from what I have observed she still lacks stamina and speed.

Naruto's prowess in taijutsu is terrifying, he even gives  _me_  trouble. If it were up to me I'd promote him to tokubetsu jōnin already. It's beyond me how he can possibly improve his taijutsu at such an inhuman rate. This can't possibly be hard work alone. Maybe the beast has something to do with it? However, it's not just taijutsu but ninjutsu as well. He mastered the basics of his wind affinity in record time and shows great promise in fire techniques as well, perhaps also due to his tenant.

The only thing holding him back is his horrendous chakra control. His massive chakra supply is a blessing and curse at the same time. Not only do his huge reserves destroy any hope that he could ever cast a genjutsu beyond D-rank, but it prevents him for the time being to reinforce his Rokushiki moves with chakra as well, because they require intense concentration and coordination.

Eventually though, in time, he will be able to that, creating  _nintaijutsu_  techniques like the kunoichi of the isolated Nadeshiko Village as well as the current and previous Raikage have done before him. Naruto... you are a once in a lifetime genius and I'm sure your father and mother would be proud of you. I'm glad to be your sensei.'

Kakashi gazed up and decided to end today's training session. Training is important. However, being a shinobi includes fulfilling missions to keep the village running and to receive a paycheck.

**"Enough training for now! We have some missions to do! Go home, take a shower, and meet me in front of the Hokage Tower** **in an hour."** , he shouted and everyone complied.

Sasuke sheathed his sword, carrying it strapped on his back like Kakashi once used to carry his father's blade, the  _Hakkō Chakura Tō (White Light Chakra Sabre)_  that broke during the mission to destroy the  _Kannabi Bridge_  and Yūgao gave him a short evaluation. She told him they would spar continuously on the water surface next time.

Hinata opened Naruto's closed tenketsu points and offered Sasuke her self-made medicine to heal his cuts, which he gratefully accepted. Kakashi was so impressed with her medicine after he took a look at it a few days ago that he entered her in the next semester's medic course at the hospital, knowing just how important medical support for a team in the field is due to his own experience since Rin bandaged him up so often after one of his reckless moves in the past that his sensei scolded him for.

Lastly, the trio bid Yūgao farewell and went home to rest.

* * *

_Nyaaaaa_

"My cute little Tora-chan, I was so worried.", exclaimed the fire daimyō's wife as she squeezed the life out of that  _beast_  of a cat. He didn't outwardly show it, but this sight gave Naruto, who had changed into his suit while he was at home, a great amount of satisfaction. While he loved animals he didn't feel any sympathy for it. That cat dared to scratch his  _face_ , to be more precise, his whisker marks, after he caught it in the blink of an eye with  ** _Soru (Shave)_**. They are very sensitive!

Team Seven stood lined up in front of a desk where Hiruzen, Iruka, and some secretaries sat, waiting for their next  _menial task_. Sasuke and Naruto were fed up. Why aren't academy students doing these chores and gain experience that way?! As soon as he became Hokage it will be like that. Naruto felt insulted by receiving such  _missions_.

"I'm impressed with how fast your team completed this mission, Kakashi. Now what do we have here... painting a fence, shopping...", Hiruzen began and was promptly cut off by the jōnin, who raised his hand.

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama, but after 38 D-rank missions I believe my team is more than ready for the next level."

"Kakashi-san, you can't be serious. They are far too inexperienced.", Iruka tried to reason to which Naruto frowned. While he sensed Iruka's concern for his safety he was still a bit angered. Does he really have so little faith in him?

Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe and inquired "Kakashi, are you really sure? The world outside the walls is a dangerous place, you know that."

"They are more than ready.", Kakashi answered seriously and met his gaze.

After a few seconds Hiruzen gave in "Alright, I trust your judgement. I herby assign Squad Seven a C-rank escort mission..." Sasuke and Naruto smirked, but Hinata felt a bit nervous. "Tazuna, you can come in and meet your bodyguards."

The door opened and a grey-haired man in his late fifties with dark eyes, a beard, and glasses, dressed in a grey sleeveless shirt, beige pants held up by a band around his waist, sandals, a white towel around his neck, a rope tied around his forehead, and a backpack strapped on his back entered the room and leaned against the door.

He took a sip from a bottle he held in his left hand, whose content was obviously alcohol from the way he moved and smelled.

"What?! That's my escort? Is that some kind of joke? A kid with a butter knife on his back, a blind girl, and a cat- faced boy who looks like he's going to a business lunch! Well, at least the cyclops looks somewhat serious."

The mentioned genin's eyebrows twitched. 'Guess he needs a demonstration.', Naruto thought, grinned, and calmly spoke  ** _"_** ** _Soru (Shave)"_**

"So- what? Hey! Where's my bottle! And where is the boy?!", Tazuna asked confused due to the empty feeling in his hand and loosing sight of the brat.

"Looking for something?", he heard someone question, turned his head to one of the windows in the office and spotted the blonde holding  _his_  bottle out of the window.

'What happened?!', the secretaries thought in bewilderment.

Iruka looked speechless. 'What speed! A-Amazing!' He only saw a black and yellow blur moving!

'I see you have progressed even further under Kakashi's guidance. Maybe you really are ready for that mission.', the Hokage pondered and smiled.

"Hn show off.", Sasuke remarked quietly with a tiny amount of jealousy in his voice. He became  _much_  faster in the last two months, but still couldn't match his blond rival... and friend in speed.

Kakashi just sighed inwardly 'Sometimes he behaves like a child, just like Kushina. Luckily, he acts like his father most of the time.'

"No! Give it back!", Tazuna hurriedly tried to rescue the precious liquid, but the blonde threw the bottle out. Tazuna went to his knees and cried anime tears to which the occupants of the room sweat dropped.

"Cough I hope that little demonstration eased your worries, Tazuna. I'm even faster than he is..." 'But he's catching up quickly!', Kakashi added in his thoughts. He started to train harder again in order to get back into shape. After all, he now had a team to protect. "and I assure you that I and my team will guard you with our lives and take you safely to... where is this trip going to take us by the way?"

Having composed himself and feeling much more secure than before Tazuna got back on his feet, pointed his thumb at his chest, and began to brag with a wide smile "I'm a master bridge builder! The greatest there is in all the elemental nations! And I need you to escort me safely to my home country, Nami no Kuni (Land of Waves), and guard me for a week until I complete my greatest masterpiece."

Tazuna mulled the situation over in his half drunk state 'Gatō's goons won't be able to touch us with such monsters guarding me! Phew Here I thought the money wouldn't be enough to grant us sufficient protection.'

Kakashi clasped his hands together to get his students' attention. "You heard our client! Go home, gather enough supplies for  _two_  weeks and we meet again in front of the south gate in one hour. Seal the supplies in a scroll as I have shown you...", he turned his head to their client "Tazuna, wait there for us... and don't buy any alcohol.", he ordered, took a scroll with the mission details from Hiruzen, and also went to gather his own supplies.

* * *

**_"Kai!"_ **

**_"Sharingan!"_ **

**_"Byakugan!"_ **

"Whoa! What's wrong with the eyes of these two?!", the startled Tazuna screamed in shock at the unfamiliar sight. Their sudden outburst almost gave him a heart attack!

Nami no Kuni is an isolated country without a shinobi village and the last one he had seen there was about twenty years ago. He only heard rumours about ninja with strange eyes or stories as a child. Tazuna wasn't even a day in Konoha among them, but already thought they are really weird people with a strange sense of fashion.

"Umm... Just what is this about?", Kakashi asked with a sweat drop.

Whereupon all three genin yelled at the same time "I-Impossible! You are punctual!" and Sasuke as well as Hinata deactivated their dōjutsu.

"Of course, this is a  _serious_  mission.", Kakashi replied to which they scowled at him and he continued "Don't give me that look... Now, assume formation. Hinata, you take the front and will scout the forward area every hundredth meters for traps and hidden enemies. I guard the back, Sasuke the left, and Naruto the right side. Be on guard."

All hired shinobi took position around Tazuna and the group began to march outside. Naruto stopped shortly before he was outside and consequently the rest did too, raising an eyebrow. The blond boy seemed to be in deep thought.

"Is something wrong, Naruto?", Kakashi inquired, worried for his student's well-being.

As a child Naruto always dreamed about how the world outside those high intimidating walls that confined him within the village would be like. To meet foreign people, see different landscapes and villages, marvel at and smell the ocean he heard and read about, feel snow, and fight other ninja. What adventures and dangers has the world outside to offer? One more step, just one more and he would be farther away from his birthplace than ever before, embarking on his very first adventure.

Naruto felt a comforting hand on his shoulder, looked up and met Kakashi's eye, which reflected concern "Naruto, are you really ok? We will need you at your fullest."

"Naruto-kun, you are not a-alone.", his gaze wandered to Hinata, who smiled at him reassuringly.

"Hn don't tell me you are scared, dope. Are you a scaredy cat?"

Meeting his smirking friend's gaze with a frown he replied "Hah In your dreams, teme."

Kakashi let go of him. Naruto felt all their concern and it touched his heart that they truly cared for him. 'I won't let them down!' Finally, he addressed all his comrades "I'm really fine guys. I was just never outside the village and had to cope with the thought." The blonde closed his eyes, took a deep breath, moved one step forward and stood for a moment in silence.

He opened his eyes again, smiled brightly at them, and raised a fist "What are we waiting for? Let's bring Tazuna safely home, dattebayo!"

They (eye-)smiled back and regrouped around Tazuna, who thought it would be wise to keep his mouth shut during their moment, and headed towards Nami no Kuni.

* * *

The group walked along the road, which was flanked by several trees and bushes. Tazuna kept looking to his right at the red swirl on Naruto's back in deep thought and scratched his chin. 'Hmm I know I have seen this symbol before. I just can't put my finger on it.'

They stopped once again to let Hinata scan the surroundings.

**_'Byakugan'_ **

Hinata suddenly began to give her teammates rapid hand signs, putting them on the edge and the two hidden shinobi thirty meters in front of the group immediately knew they had been discovered. They lost the element of surprise and began to retreat at a high pace in order to tell their leader the interesting discovery they made. The Konoha ninja guarding Tazuna wouldn't follow them and risk a battle.

"They retreated.", Hinata observed and sighed in relief. The kunoichi knew she would eventually have to fight for her life, but that didn't mean she was looking forward to it in contrast to her predatory raven-haired teammate.

"What's going on?!", the perplexed Tazuna questioned.

"Shouldn't we hunt them down?", Sasuke asked with a grin and gripped the hilt of his tantō in anticipation. Finally a chance to test his skill in real combat!

"No, Sasuke! Our objective is to guard the client and not fight unnecessarily to still your thirst for battle. Hinata, how do they look like?"

"Both wear o-oxygen masks, clawed gauntlets, and a Kirigakure forehead protector. One had a s-single horn attached to his forehead protector and a gauntlet on his right a-arm, whereas the other one had two horns and a gauntlet o-on his left arm."

Kakashi mentally skipped through the pages of the Bingo-Bukku (Bingo Book), which he had memorized with his  ** _Sharingan_**  "Gōzu and Meizu. The  _Oni Kyōdai_ _(Demon brothers)_."

His three students and Tazuna gave him questioning glances "Who?"

Kakashi made a mental note to let his students memorize the Bingo Book and enlightened them "Two former Kirigakure chūnin, now missing-nin. The Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura, wants their heads on a silver platter for assisting Zabuza Momochi, the  _Kirigakure no Kijin (Demon of the Hidden Mist)_ , former member of the __Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū_  (Swordsmen of the Mist) _and  _A-rank_  missing-nin, in his failed takeover. If they are here..."

His voice became deadly serious, a tone his students never heard till now "... it could mean Zabuza isn't far away. I doubt they just randomly stumbled upon us. I don't believe in  _coincidence_...", he slowly turned his head towards Tazuna, who began to sweat bullets. Kakashi didn't suspect him, but his bodily reaction betrayed the bridge builder in the end and Naruto also felt something wasn't right with his additional sense and voiced it in a serious tone "Kakashi-sensei, I think..."

But the older ninja cut him off by raising his hand without looking away from their client "I know, Naruto. Tazuna, we need to talk,  _now_." Said bridge builder faced the ground and replied "Sigh I guess you got me. There's no point in lying anymore."

"The possibility of facing the  _Oni Kyōdai_ alone makes this mission at least B-rank and if Zabuza is involved A-rank. Not to mention the unknown variables and number of foes. I want to know the truth. Who is after you and why did you lie?"

"You probably heard about him... the shipping magnate Gatō. He has our entire country in his filthy hands and practically rules over it as its king. He enslaved us! Not even the daimyō can do anything about him. His thugs do as they please! They not only torture anyone openly who opposes him, but kill them as well, even children. My daughter's husband was also killed.

That greedy little bastard has completely taken over our country's economy. We are depended on maritime trade and he locked the island, hence we are forced to buy only his goods to exorbitant prices. Through terror and poverty he keeps us on a tight leash and broke us! All the money I and a few friends of mine could gather was barely enough to afford a C-rank mission. The bridge that will connect us to the mainland is the only hope our people have left to ever gain our freedom back! We are so close to the sea right now, it isn't far anymore. Please!"

Tazuna began to cry and got on his hands and knees. "Please! You can't abandon me now! I beg you! Not just in my name, but for every citizen of my country. Once the bridge is complete we will pay any price you demand! But please, help us..."

A moment in stunned silence passed before Kakashi bluntly replied "No" and Tazuna cried even harder.

**"Kakashi-sensei!"** , his students protested loudly. They desperately wanted to help the people of Nami no Kuni after they heard the old man's story and they were already close to the coast.

**"Silence!"** , the jōnin ordered his students.

Naruto quickly tried to reason "Why, Kakashi-sensei?! He said they would pay us any price afterwards..."

Kakashi promptly cut him off and fixed his three students in an intense glare "It's not about the money! I won't lead my team to certain death! Do you know who Gatō is? Do you have any idea how dangerous a  _Swordsman of the Mist_  is? Who knows how many ninja Gatō might have additionally hired?

I know you three want to do what your heart tells you to, you are still so young, but what would you have done if Gatō had hired us to do his dirty work? You three have to realize that we are ninja, not heroes out of a fairy tale. It also pains me, but sometimes you have to kill your heart. That's part of being a shinobi. My responsibilities are the mission, which I hereby cancel due to our client lying to us, and your safety. I will bring you home in one piece, no matter what, even if I have to condemn my soul."

Hinata cried, Sasuke closed his eyes, gritting his teeth in anger and clenched his fists. Naruto's bangs hid his eyes and his mouth formed a thin line. He walked up to Tazuna and calmly declared "I'm going with you." to which everyone's eyes widened.

"Naruto... I  _order_  you to abort the mission!"

Naruto met Kakashi's gaze determined "No, Kakashi-sensei! I'm going to free this country once and for all. You guys don't have to follow me if you are afraid."

"You won't throw your life away like that. I'm going to stop you, even if you will hate me for it.", Kakashi threatened and brought his right hand close to his forehead protector. Hinata and Sasuke were now really worried. Both were much stronger than them and if they went all out there was little they could do to stop them.

The blonde answered with fire in his eyes "Listen, I don't care  _who_  this Gatō is,  _how influential_  he is,  _how many_  thugs and ninja he commands or  _how powerful_  this Zabuza fellow is. I'm not afraid to die! Innocent people are suffering because of him, that's why I'm going to kick his ass and everyone else's who stands in my way, even yours if you try to stop me! I won't stand idly by and allow him to do as he pleases! I will help everyone who comes to me and cries out for peace! That's my  _nindō (Ninja way)_ , dattebayo!"

The boy's eyes grew cold as ice and his look darkened. Naruto brought his arms in front of his torso, slid the concealed kunai in his right sleeve into his hand and pierced the palm of his left hand to emphasize his resolve without flinching, adding "And the only way to stop me... is to  _kill_  me." while not breaking eye contact.

Like Tazuna, Sasuke was speechless and didn't really know what to do or say and Hinata covered her gaping mouth with her hands in shock at that statement 'N-Naruto-kun'.

Kakashi's lone eye widened and he saw a ghost of his past in the boy's look. 'O-Obito'

_Obito, don't go after them!_

_You must obey my instructions._

_A shinobi must kill his emotions._

_I'm going to rescue Rin!_

Kakashi ran his right hand trough his hair, sighed heavily, and groaned inwardly 'I won't let him go alone. Hokage-sama will demote me to genin for this.'

"Alright,  _we_  are going to continue the mission, but Sasuke and Hinata are free to go back.", Kakashi said and first looked at Sasuke expectantly.

Sasuke smirked "Hn Without me the dope will just trip over his own feet and die, of course I'm tagging along. Besides, we are a team."

Kakashi nodded and then met the gaze of the final member of Team Seven.

Hinata was afraid and swallowed hard. From what Kakashi told them they really could  _die_. Suddenly, several images entered her mind. She remembered all the happy times Team Seven had together. How much they laughed and smiled in each other's company. The thought of never seeing them again was terrifying, not knowing if she could have done something to at least save one of them.

Steeling her resolve she answered "Y-You guys didn't let me behind when I was tied to that l-log and I won't abandon you n-now. If we d-die... we are going to die a-as a team."

Kakashi nodded again and Tazuna sighed in relief because there was still hope thanks to the blond kid.

Naruto removed the kunai from his palm and Hinata offered him treatment, which he gratefully accepted. Once the blonde was bandaged up Kakashi addressed them all "Before we go any further you must know with what we are dealing with. I will tell you everything I know about our enemies."

* * *

Gōzu and Meizu arrived safely at their hideout provided by Gatō, finished their report, and their leader, who sat on a comfortable couch, was more than pleased. He was a very tall and muscular man with short spiky black hair and brown eyes. His most distinctive features were his lack of eyebrows and the bandages he wore around the lower-half of his face down to his neck. Furthermore, he wore a sleeveless black shirt, black pants with a waist-guard, a forehead protector sideways around his brow, and striped wrist and leg-warmers... Zabuza Momochi.

A truly intimidating, power-hungry, and cruel man who knows neither remorse nor pity. He became famous after he massacred his entire class at the Kirigakure ninja academy,  _over one hundred fellow students_ , whom he also shared bonds with, as part of his graduation exam and at the same time lost any compassion he once had. After his cruel act this practice had been abolished, but his legend spread throughout the elemental nations.

So began the story of the  _Kirigakure no Kijin (Demon of the Hidden Mist)_ , who later became a Kiri-ANBU and joined the famous group of the  _Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū_ _(Swordsmen of the Mist)_  where he obtained his trademark blade, the Kubikiribōchō (Executioner's Blade), and learned the fearsome  _Sairento Kiringu (Silent killing)_  technique.

The weapon he wields is legendary, passed down from one generation of the  _Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū_ _(Swordsmen of the Mist)_ to the next. An extremely heavy and massive broadsword with a very long detachable handle and two cut outs that can be used to decapitate the enemy. However, it's not the size and form alone that make it special. It can repair any damage inflicted to it almost instantly by utilizing the iron in the opponent's blood. A fitting weapon for a bloodthirsty monster like him, indeed.

His booming laughter suddenly echoed through the facility "This has to be my lucky day! A Hyūga,  _Kopī Ninja no Kakashi_ _(Copy Ninja Kakashi)_ , and two no name genin. If the girl is a member of the main branch the Yondaime Raikage will pay us our combined weight ten times in gold for her and even if she's not the  ** _Sharingan_**  will still be mine!"

It seemed like destiny itself was smiling at him! Killing the bridge builder and receiving Gatō's reward, also killing the annoying midget afterwards, shouldn't be too hard. Kakashi was the only real threat. Haku, Gōzu, and Meizu will be more than enough to deal with two no name genin and the Hyūga.

Haku was his best tool, trump card, and a truly gifted  _boy_ , yes, sometimes even he had a hard time to believe that Haku was actually a boy, even his voice sounds feminine. Sadly tough, Haku wasn't a perfect tool because he's too soft. If that weakness wouldn't hold him back he dared to say the boy could beat  _him_. His speed and strength are extraordinary, especially when used in conjunction with his  ** _Hyōton (Ice Release)_**  kekkei genkai. Also, his taijutsu and analytical skills are top-notch. Gōzu and Meizu are good, but compared to Haku they are replaceable, just cannon fodder.

After this mission is done and if the girl truly is a main branch member he would hand the girl over to Kumo in order to collect the reward, but not before he removed one eye and implanted it into Haku, further increasing the boy's power.

Zabuza knew how practical that dōjutsu is from an encounter with Ao, a member of the  _Oinin Butai (Hunter-nin Corps)_ , who came into possession of such an eye. Then, he finally would have collected enough money to finance a new takeover and with the  ** _Sharingan_**  in his possession, a dōjutsu rumored to being able to tame a Bijū, Yagura won't know what hit him.

Zabuza's keen senses registered three people approaching him.

"Why are your useless lackeys back without his head?! And why are you just sitting here?! Move your ass and...", ranted a short brown-haired man wearing a business suit and sunglasses, flanked by his bodyguards, two former samurai who do every dirty job for him.

He supressed the urge to roll his eyes. That little midget was getting on his nerves and he didn't like the tone in which he spoke to him, as if he was one of his lackeys. In the blink of an eye, faster than the bodyguards could react, Zabuza swung his sword and the little man faced the end of his blade and began to sweat. The tip was touching his nose! His bodyguards were too stunned and afraid to move.

"Watch your mouth, Gatō! I'm not one of your underlings and won't let you order me around. We are  _business partner_ , never forget that, I will bring you his head and you pay me. I just received valuable intel and will have to do some research. The target has hired a few ninja for his protection, but I can deal with them. Make sure you got the money ready. I accept only cash."

Zabuza withdrew his blade and left the room along with Gōzu and Meizu in order to meet up with Haku, do some research, and work out a plan.

Gatō fumed inside. No one speaks to him like that! Zabuza will die slowly and painfully as soon as he completes the job. He grinned maliciously 'Yes! Just like that village  _hero_  back then. It was so satisfying and amusing.'

* * *

Team Seven and Tazuna arrived on the island. Luckily, they didn't have to waste any chakra and water-walk there. An old friend of Tazuna had offered his service and transported them in his boat under the cover of thick mist. During the trip they saw the bridge and all of them agreed that the sight was a true eye candy.

'Tazuna doesn't seem to have exaggerated.', Kakashi thought as he took in their surroundings.

The group walked alongside Tazuna through the settlement that resembled a slum. The buildings were run down, some even crumbled. However, the people seemed to be in a far worse state than the structures. Their faces reflected hopelessness, beggars sat on every street corner along with orphaned skinny children clad in rags. The times in which the streets were filled with laughter and joy have long since passed. It was a truly pitiful sight.

Hinata and Sasuke were shocked to the core, probably because they originate from wealthy clans and never once have they experienced or seen such poverty. Such living circumstances were almost non-existent in Konoha and they never went into those few districts.

Naruto looked composed, but internally it tore his heart apart. On the one hand he knew exactly how it's like to live on the street with your only possession being what you have on your body and on the other hand he felt all their grief and misery with his additional sense, that appears to have expanded from close proximity to a ten meter radius around him and could also tell him if someone was lying.

Aside from pity another feeling grew inside of him...  _rage_. This Gatō, no, this  _monster_  should pray that they never meet. However, he didn't let his emotions get the better of him. That much he learned from his fight with Kakashi. If he really wants to help these people he must keep his mind focused and calm in order to protect Tazuna so he can finish the bridge.

After about twenty minutes of walking they reached Tazuna's home, located on the other side of the island on the coast, without any incident and were warmly greeted by his daughter, Tsunami, who squealed at the sight of Naruto, saying he looked so cute in his suit and his whisker marks were so adorable, which made him blush slightly and she began to prepare lunch for them.

Hinata offered her some help in the kitchen and she gratefully accepted. Sasuke took the first shift and patrolled on the rooftop. The team also briefly met her son Inari, who spared them a short glance, ran upstairs, and locked himself in his room. Naruto could feel his inner turmoil and grief, something was bothering the boy.

"So, what is the plan and what about my family?", Tazuna asked.

Kakashi mulled the situation over "Hmm we can't risk taking them to the construction site. They would be easy targets and guarding you against Zabuza and who knows how many enemies will already be difficult enough. However, we can't let them unguarded either because both could be used as hostages. It would be best to leave Naruto with them. He's the strongest member of my team and can handle that task alone. They will be in good hands. I will work out the details during the day."

Half an hour later everyone sat at the table and ate a delicious meal. Hinata ate with an active  ** _Byakugan_**  so Sasuke could join them, freaking out Tsunami and Inari. The boy still hadn't said a single word since Team Seven arrived and sat opposite to Naruto.

"Wow! That's so good, dattebayo!", Naruto happily complimented the two women's cooking skills.

"Why?", Inari suddenly questioned out of nowhere.

"Huh Why what?", the blonde asked in confusion and everybody looked expectantly at Inari.

Inari began to cry and shout  **"Why are you acting so carefree! No matter how strong you think you are no one is a match for Gatō! You are just four people! What can you possibly do?! You will die! So why are you here?! There are no heroes in this world! No one can save us! Do you want to die?!..."**

Naruto couldn't take it anymore, stood up, leaned against the desk, and stared with cold eyes at Inari. This action made the younger boy cringe in fear and Naruto growled.  **"Shut up, brat!**  Your grandfather is risking his life for you, your mother, and this entire country! The least you can do is believe in him you spineless coward! We are going to protect him!"

"B-Believe?! T-There is n-no hope!", Inari replied between sobs and ran upstairs again.

"Inari!", Tsunami and Tazuna called out.

"Wasn't that a bit harsh, Naruto?", Kakashi scolded his pupil, who simply huffed in response and sat down again.

"What was that about?", Sasuke asked perplexed.

"Please, forgive him. Since that incident he changed.", Tazuna responded with watering eyes.

"W-What incident?", Hinata inquired curiously.

Tazuna took a deep breath. "My daughter's husband, Kaiza, had been openly tortured and killed by Gatō for opposing him...", Tsunami visibly tensed.

"Though they were not blood related Inari nevertheless considered him his father. After he rescued him from drowning they were inseparable. Not much time passed until he and Tsunami became close. Kaiza was hailed as the village's hero after the dam broke and he fixed it by jumping into the raging tides when nobody else found the courage to do it. His favourite phrase was  _'you must protect what is precious to you with both your arms even if it costs you your life'_. We couldn't have been happier...", his look darkened.

"But then  _he_  came. Kaiza, of course, opposed Gatō and got caught by his goons. They..." A sob escaped his throat and Tsunami shed tears at the horrible memory. "They cut off his arms in front of everyone,  _including_ Inari, and killed him afterwards."

A depressing silence followed and Naruto clenched his fists until he drew blood and broke the silence "I will show him!"

That got him everyone's attention and he continued "...I will show him that there is still some Good in this world and that it's worth fighting for, dattebayo!", stunning the entire group and Tsunami, for a brief moment, saw Kaiza in her mind's eye when she looked at Naruto.

His declaration brought smiles back onto the faces of the group and they continued to eat. Inari, who sat in front of the open window in his room, heard that statement and cried even harder. His stream of tears landed on Kaiza's picture.

Unnoticed by everyone, except for Kakashi, Naruto silently added a small phrase to his declaration barely above a whisper  _"I'm going to bring him to justice."_

* * *

Later, in the afternoon, Naruto accompanied Tsunami to the pier, who didn't expect so many guests. The group emptied her already small stockpile of food and she had to catch some fresh fish for dinner. She carried her fishing rod while he carried a large box for the fish. It was Kakashi's shift and he guarded the house from the roof. The rest remained inside the house.

Both reached the end of the pier and Naruto, after he laid the box down, was wide-eyed at the sight before him "Wow! The ocean."

Tsunami was a bit confused "Huh? You have never seen the ocean before? Didn't you come here in a boat?"

"Well, when we crossed the distance it was foggy and when we reached your house I was on guard and didn't take the time to enjoy the sight... it's beautiful.", he replied while scratching the back of his head.

She smiled at him and sat down. Naruto observed Tsunami for a while and was impressed at how many fish she caught in a short amount of time.

"Amazing, do you fish everyday? You are really good at it."

Her eyes reflected nostalgia "Kaiza taught me... and I'm glad he did. The fish on the market is far too expensive. It saves us a lot of money... Say, have you caught fish before?"

"When I was young I tried to catch some in a river with my bare hands, but it was too difficult, so I focused on the animals in the forest or stole food.", he answered with a sad expression.

'Poor boy. He must have had a rough childhood.', she mused and wanted to cheer him up. "You want to try it?", Tsunami said and offered him her fishing rod.

"Umm why not? Yes, thank you.", he replied, took it, and sat down next to her.

About ten minutes passed with no success. "This time for sure!", he exclaimed and pulled out the string, empty. "Urgh What am I doing wrong?", Naruto ranted in frustration. Tsunami giggled at his childish antics and he pouted at her. 'He's so cute when he's angry.'

"Alright, I will give you some pointers...", Tsunami went behind him and started to massage his shoulders and neck. 'Wow! What muscles.', she thought in astonishment. He first stiffened at the personal contact, but quickly melted in her magical hands and moaned. One time even purred and she raised an eyebrow 'Huh?! Did he just purr or was that my imagination?'

"You are too stiff, relax your arms and your hold on the rod. Close your eyes and be calm as the sea... Clear your mind and exhale deeply...", Tsunami instructed and the blonde complied. It was like meditation, he noted.

She stopped massaging him and instructed further "Try to feel the world around you and focus on the water's sound,  _feel_  its rhythm...", Naruto was in deep trance now. "Once you can feel it you will become one with the fish."

The blonde could indeed feel something and wanted to pull out the string. Tsunami saw his tensing shoulders. "No! Shh Don't rush it. The fish will sense your stress, relax again and focus..." Naruto felt it again, but this time remained perfectly still. "Good, concentrate on the water's rhythm again. It will tell you what the fish is going to do next...", He sensed that the fish will bite the hook.

"Now! Pull!"

_Splash_

He caught the fish! "Hurray! I caught one! You see? See?", Naruto shouted and showed her proudly his prey.

Tsunami giggled. It has been so long since she heard a child this excited. "I'm really impressed, Naruto! You are a fast learner and caught a really big one too.", she praised him and he smiled brightly.  _(He sharpened his Observation Haki)_

"Tsk", Inari, who had watched everything unfold, scowled from behind his open window.

After dinner it was Naruto's turn and he had to guard the area from the roof. The sun had settled down by now and since Hinata had the best eyes by far of the group she would guard the house during the night.

She went outside, not far from the house to a pond, for some light training a few hours ago and assured Kakashi she would scout the area regularly with her dōjutsu.

Kakashi approached Sasuke, who went through some kenjutsu kata's outside the house and ordered "Sasuke, don't overdo it, save your energy. Go and fetch Hinata. She might have lost track of time. You will find her at the pond fifty meters to the north. Her shift begins shortly.", to which he nodded and did as he was told.

* * *

The raven-haired boy walked through the woods and suddenly heard a sound that put him on the edge 'What was that?' He activated his  ** _Sharingan_**  because it was so dark in the forest and sneaked up to the area where the sound came from. Shoving some vegetation carefully to the side he came upon a sight that would be forever burned into his mind since his dōjutsu was active.

_Splash_

Hinata was training on the surface of the pond. Something he saw her regularly doing, nothing unusual. However, this time she was  _naked_! His eyes became as wide as saucers and he just couldn't will his body to move.

The girl moved with incredible grace and spun around herself, expelling chakra out of her tenketsu points and whirling up droplets of water, creating a sphere around her that reflected the moonlight. It made her shine like an angel!  _(She did that in the filler episode 148 in part one)_  That view was breathtaking and he only knew one word to describe this scene 'Beautiful'

Sasuke felt his heartbeat increase along with his breath. In addition, his stomach gave off a strange feeling it never did before and his face heat up. His mind couldn't process any coherent thought and his body reached out for her... only to lose balance and fall face first into the cold pond.

_Splash_

The sound startled Hinata and she activated her dōjutsu ' ** _Byakugan!_**  Oh n-no! S-Sasuke saw me?!' She became all red in the face and sprinted to the shore, took her clothes, and ran as fast as she could back to the house.

Sasuke resurfaced a moment later and pulled himself out of the water, coughed a few times, and deactivated his  ** _Sharingan_**. What should he do now? He couldn't stay here forever so he moved back to the house. Luckily, he didn't stumble upon Hinata and went directly to bed, but Sasuke wouldn't be able to sleep that night though, because when he closed his eyes he would always see Hinata in all her glory and his face flushed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why does jūken affect Naruto, despite him using Tekkai?
> 
> It's logical. The chakra pathway system is closely intertwined with the functioning of the organs and he can't prevent a Hyūga from inserting his or her chakra into that system.


	7. Dark Justice Part 2

**Chapter 7 - Dark Justice Part 2**

Morning arrived quickly. Tazuna and his family were in the kitchen and Team Seven sat together in the living room. Hinata's and Sasuke's strange behaviour confused Naruto. Both avoided eye contact and were unfocused in each other's presence.

Kakashi also noticed this "You two were tense the entire morning. Is something wrong?"

"N-Nothing, Kakashi-sensei.", Sasuke  _stuttered_  and Hinata turned red as a tomato, hiding her face behind her hands.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at their reaction and Kakashi knew he had to intervene. "I don't know why you two act like that, but you must get ahold of yourself! Whatever business you two have will have to wait. For now you must focus. Can you do that?"

A brief moment passed and both nodded determined in response. The people of Nami no Kuni were counting on them, the fate of an entire country was at stake!

Kakashi stared at them for a while, confirming their resolve for himself, before he spoke again "Alright, now listen, Tazuna needs approximately a week to finish the bridge, so the enemy will definitely attack in that time span. There's no way to tell when, but I think soon, maybe even today. They probably suspect that at least one of us will stay here to protect Tazuna's family and attack simultaneously while we are separated. That's why I want Naruto to guard the house alone. If they assume capturing Tsunami or Inari is going to be easy then they are in for a surprise...", Naruto grinned at that "Hinata, Sasuke, you will accompany me to the construction site. Here's the plan..."

* * *

Tazuna, Sasuke, Hinata as well as Kakashi arrived at the construction site and stumbled upon the mauled corpses of several workers.

"What happened?!", Tazuna exclaimed in shock and wanted to check if one of them was still alive, but Kakashi grabbed him by his shoulder to stop him and the three ninja formed a triangle around the bridge builder.

Suddenly, they were surrounded by eight Zabuza's in a circle formation. Hinata immediately activated her  ** _Byakugan_**  and calmly informed her team about the nature of the clones " ** _Mizu Bunshin (Water Clones)_** ". Soon after those words escaped her lips the three swarmed out to destroy them as fast they could, knowing that a water clone could only contain ten percent of the user's strength at max.

Hinata skillfully evaded the wild sword slashes of three clones and took each of them out with a single tab. Sasuke drew his tantō with his right hand, faced two, and cleaved them in half, smirking at his accomplishment. Kakashi pulled out a kunai, swiftly dealt with the rest, and after he destroyed the last one he made an observation 'That's too easy! They aren't even trying. He's up to something...' Looking around he noticed all the puddles that have formed 'That's it! He intends to soak the ground so he can perform water techniques much faster.'

"Kakashi-sensei! Four of them thirty m-meters to the east!", Hinata shouted and moved together with Kakashi to face the new threat while Sasuke stayed behind to guard Tazuna.

They came face to face with Zabuza, a masked Haku as well as Gōzu and Meizu, whose gauntlets were connected by a blood stained shuriken-chain.

Zabuza chuckled and grabbed the hilt of his blade with his right hand. " _Sharingan no Kakashi_ , it's an honour to meet a man of your reputation. I must say your brats aren't half bad.", he greeted and analyzed the youth's level of skill 'The jūken is indeed as deadly as the rumors indicate and the pretty boy's speed and kenjutsu are top-notch for a genin.'

Kakashi retorted "Zabuza Momochi, the  _Kirigakure no Kijin (Demon of the Hidden Mist)_... I see you brought a guest and your two lap-dogs along." and thought 'Not good. We don't know anything about the boy. Moreover, that mask resembles that of a member of the  _Oinin Butai (Hunter-nin Corps)_. If he's ANBU level we are in serious trouble! I hate unknown variables.'

That last comment hit a nerve "What?! How dare you not take us seriously?! I'm going to skin you alive!"

"Meizu!", Gōzu scolded his younger brother for giving into such a taunt like an amateur. Why was he the only one with a brain in his family?

"Enough with this chit-chat! We have business to do. Gōzu, Meizu, take on pretty boy and the old fart. Haku, you know what to do."

"Yes, Zabuza-sama", the masked boy replied in a monotonous tone.

Kakashi hurriedly pulled out another kunai with a ball attached to it from his pouch, twirled it, and threw it at the enemy group with as much power as he could muster, but Haku hit the projectile with a senbon needle in mid-air with pinpoint accuracy, stopping its momentum and the ball exploded in a huge wall of smoke, obscuring both squad's view of each other, except for Hinata, who could see everything clearly thanks to her dōjutsu.

Kakashi mulled the masked boy's move over 'That boy uses senbon needles, the weapon of choice for mid to long-range fighters with extensive medical knowledge. His reflexes and aim are  _absolutely perfect_. He's dangerous! I would say he's at least high chūnin level, maybe even tokubetsu jōnin from what I have observed so far.'

Zabuza took a good sniff and frowned in disgust at the smell. 'Bah A stink bomb? Did he know I was coming? Was he trying to mark us in case I use the  ** _Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hiding in Mist Technique)_**? After all, he's rumored to have a better nose than an Inuzuka. Still, you will need more than a child's prank to beat me, Kakashi.'

Once the smoke screen cleared up Zabuza yelled  **"Attack!"**  and the members of his group lunged at their respective targets. Zabuza moved at great speed, drew his blade, and clashed against Kakashi, who met his sword with a kunai.

_Clang_

A power struggle ensued, neither gaining any ground. The two fighters used both their arms to add more force and Kakashi grunted in exertion, gritting his teeth 'What a monster! He definitely deserves his title... His strength is insane!'

* * *

Haku bombarded Hinata relentlessly with an onslaught of senbon needles, most of which the agile girl dodged expertly. Her movements were incredibly graceful and fluid, yet, some of the projectiles were so fast that she couldn't avoid them. Therefore she ejected chakra constantly from her tenketsu points, covering a small area around her, and used it to deflected those by slowing them down or, if necessary, slightly change their trajectory.

While this technique made up for her blind spot, enabling her to sense every incoming attack that method is far from being a perfect defense against physical attacks like the  ** _Hakkeshō Kaiten (Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven)_** , a technique only taught to members of the main house, because it was depleting her reserves so rapidly that she would die in a matter of seconds. That was a Hyūga's last line of defense.

She tried to get close to her masked foe, but her speed wasn't at Sasuke's level yet. Her enemy was  _very_  fast and kept his distance.

He unexpectedly stopped though and spoke "Please give up and let yourself be captured. I take no pleasure in fighting you. I don't want to hurt you."

Hinata came to halt as well and her face reflected her perplexity 'Is he trying to confuse me and catch me off-guard? Besides, what does he mean by  _capture_? Isn't he supposed to kill me?... Oh no! They are after my  ** _Byakugan_**!', she thought in worry and replied "I feel the s-same, honestly, but even if you don't, your comrades on the other hand seem more than e-eager and I'm going protect my team!"

"Are they precious to you?", he inquired.

"Yes! I would give my life to save them!", she answered without hesitation and silence followed.

Haku nodded in respect "You are indeed strong. However, I also have someone precious to me and I want to make his dream come true more than anything else. Please, don't hate me for what I'm going to do."

* * *

"Don't move, Tazuna. I will be back shortly, this won't take long.", Sasuke said nonchalantly and moved away from a terrified looking Tazuna to face Gōzu and Meizu with his tantō in hand.

Gōzu smirked behind his mask. "Hehe cocky little brat. Do you honestly think it will be that easy? People like you scream the loudest. Oh I will enjoy your cries for mercy. Meizu, this time don't lose your cool. I will take the lead."

Sasuke saw an opportunity. Pointing his tantō at Meizu he spoke "Say, why do you let yourself get scolded and ordered around like that? It's obvious to me that you are the stronger one. The strong rule over the weak, right? Not the other way around."

Gōzu snorted "What are trying to pull? Do you really believe..."

"Or am I wrong and you really are what Kakashi-sensei said, a  _lap-dog_.", Sasuke mocked, an arrogant Uchiha-style grin plastered on his face.

Meizu's fury was getting the better of him and he was blinded by rage. "Why you little!", he roared in a battle cry and charged at the foolish  _genin_ , ready to tear him apart with his gauntlet.

"Meizu! No!", Gōzu tried to stop his impulsive younger brother, but the chain was already pulling him along.

That was an ideal opening Sasuke could exploit. He activated his  ** _Sharingan_**  and sprinted towards the rampaging chūnin with all the speed he could muster, whose eyes widened in shock.

_Squelch_

A splatter of blood landed on Sasuke's face. He had plunged his sword through the space between two of Meizu's lower left ribs in an upward angle, while simultaneously avoiding the gauntlet with the help of his dōjutsu, penetrating his opponent's heart, killing him.

**"Meizu!"** , Gōzu shouted, his eyes watering. While they often bickered and insulted each other his brother still meant everything to him. Without him he would have never come this far in his life.

Sasuke grinned at his accomplishment. His first kill! However, as he glanced up into the lifeless eyes of his slowly collapsing enemy, his smirk faded. It wasn't nearly as glorious or satisfying as he had hoped this moment would be. Lastly, for good measure, Sasuke twisted his sword slightly while pulling it out like Yūgao-sensei taught him, just to be sure, swiftly jumped backwards and landed on his feet, watching how Meizu's corpse hit the ground with a thud.

_Clang_

Sasuke had no time to recover though, because his  ** _Sharingan_**  predicted an incoming attack and he had to dodge the animal-like, but very dangerous and quick slashes of Gōzu, who had detached the shuriken-chain from his gauntlet. Pulling out some shuriken with his free left hand he threw them at Gōzu, who easily deflected them with his gauntlet, not fazed, and simply continued his assault as if nothing had happened.

* * *

Zabuza and Kakashi still struggled and stared at each other. 'I can feel my arms give out!', Kakashi mused in concern.

"Hmpf Useless maggots. Can't even kill a pathetic genin.", Zabuza spat in disgust after he heard Gōzu's cry of loss.

"Your comrade has been killed and that's all you... have to say?", Kakashi said, sweat was dripping down from his exposed brow due to the physical strain. That would have been the perfect moment to cast a genjustu on his foe via eye contact, but he couldn't lift his forehead protector because both his hands were occupied.

" _Comrade_? Hah, shinobi are  _tools_. He was just cannon fodder and can be easily replaced.", was the  _Demon of the Hidden Mist's_  blunt answer to which the Kakashi growled. He really hated people with such beliefs.

Another cry echoed through the air. This time however, it was Haku proclaiming a technique  _ **"Hyōton: Makyō Hyōshō ( ** _Ice Release_** : Demonic Ice Mirrors)!"**_

'Hyōton?!', Kakashi thought in curiosity at the unfamiliar term as well as concern for Hinata. Whatever the effect of that jutsu is, it certainly sounds bad. 'Naruto, hurry! I have a bad feeling about this.'

'Good, the Hyūga is trapped. Time to kill him and take my price.', Zabuza pondered and smirked in anticipation. Except for Meizu's death everything was going exactly as planned. He ended their struggle by jumping backwards as did Kakashi to bring some distance between them.

Kakashi breathed heavily, his arms ached. He pulled up his forehead protector and revealed his fully matured  ** _Sharingan_**. His adversary was strong and Hinata might be in danger. Time to fight with no holds barred!

Zabuza immediately closed his eyes in response and stretched his other senses with chakra, mainly his hearing. "I did my homework, Kakashi. I will render your most powerful tool useless and take it from your corpse.", he declared confident of victory and performed the " ** _Kirigakure no Jutsu ( ** _Hiding in Mist Technique_** )_**".

Thick mist spread quickly around the entire area. He made sure Haku would still be able to see some distance with his keen eyes and focused on making the mist extremely thick around Kakashi. Now the two powers of the  ** _Sharingan_**  were practically useless. With his eyes closed Kakashi wouldn't be able to cast a genjutsu on him through eye contact and the thick mist, created out of water and mixed with his own chakra, hampered the predictive abilities of that dōjutsu.

Difficult fighting conditions for most shinobi, but not for him, a master of the  _Sairento Kiringu (Silent killing)_  technique. The Hyūga girl would have also been able to move freely in the mist had Haku not confined her within his prison of ice. He had obtained that valuable information from a brief encounter with Ao. Zabuza grinned wickedly in excitement. His favourite game was about to start. Time to  _hunt_.

* * *

Haku nodded in respect "You are indeed strong. However, I also have someone precious to me and I want to make his dream come true more than anything else. Please, don't hate me for what I'm going to do."

The boy did a series of hand seals and the temperature around Hinata dropped abruptly all of a sudden. She began to shiver, even saw her own breath, and was regretting to have discarded her warm jacket at that moment.

_**"Hyōton: Makyō Hyōshō ( _ ** ** _Ice Release_** : Demonic Ice Mirrors**_)!"** _

In the blink of an eye, Hinata was surrounded by twenty-one floating ice mirrors made out of the moisture in the air as well as the puddles on the ground with no escape route. Haku unexpectedly walked  _into_  a mirror and his reflection could be seen in every single mirror of the dome, holding senbon needles between his fingers. Even worse, she couldn't distinguish the reflections from the original with her dōjutsu since the mirrors were also mixed with Haku's own chakra, hence they covered him.

'W-What i-is t-this?', she thought in horror and gnashing teeth. What added to her fear was the chakra infused thick mist that emerged out of nowhere, followed by a booming demonic voice.

**"Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney, heart. Which one should I go after?"**

The girl's legs trembled in tremendous fear. It was like a nightmare! Despite all her anxiety she managed to compose herself though. She wasn't just fighting for herself, but for her team and this country! 'N-No! I can't let my f-fear overwhelm me. They a-are counting on m-me! I h-have to find a way o-out of here.'

"Prepare yourself. I will now show you my true speed. Can your  _all-seeing_  eyes keep up?"

Her brain had almost no time to process the flood of information that followed the boy's cocky statement and her instincts took over. In an instant countless senbon needles filled the air and flew towards her! Training with Naruto to read and dodge strikes from seemingly all directions proved to be very useful in this situation. However, despite using all the agility her Hyūga physique granted her to dodge the projectiles she nevertheless was forced to sometimes deflect them with chakra, depleting her reserves rapidly and a single senbon needle occasionally slipped through her defense because of the sheer amount of projectiles as well as her blind spot. Luckily she managed to deflect any needle that would have hit a vital spot.

After about fifteen seconds Haku stopped to observe the results of his assault. Every time he moved between the mirrors costs him a huge amount of chakra and he would gradually slow down the longer he maintains the technique, thus he couldn't afford to waste his moves. Also, while he could move between the mirrors at light speed by utilizing the mirror's reflections to transport himself Haku couldn't throw his senbon needles at the same speed, just with his normal power, which was still very impressive though.

Hinata panted heavily, but most of her body seemed fine. The majority of needles that had hit her sticked out of her back which didn't go unnoticed by Haku 'Hmm If she really had a 360 degree field of vision she wouldn't have been hit by so many of them in her back. That leads to only one logical conclusion. The  _ **Byakugan**_ _must_  have a blind spot, now I just have to find it.'

'W-What happened? He moved so i-incredibly fast. Much f-faster than Naruto-kun and Kakashi-sensei combined!', Hinata thought in fear. It seemed hopeless! She couldn't move far from her spot, was unable to track the real Haku and lost over a third of her remaining chakra during her opponent's last attack in just a few seconds. The only positive fact she noticed was that Haku's chakra dropped as well, but he had  _much_  more than her. 'N-Naruto-kun, please hurry!'

* * *

Gōzu relentlessly attacked Sasuke with all he had and the raven tried to hit him with his sword as well as volleys of kunai and shuriken. Sasuke had to admit that while this guy wasn't nearly as fast as he was his defense on the other hand was difficult to pass by, mainly because of his poisoned metal gauntlet. The boy knew should he receive even a single scratch from that due to a reckless move it would be all over. That weapon began to annoy him. Luckily, his enemy was already showing signs of fatigue. The moment he had been waiting for!

Over the course of the battle he heard someone shout the name of a to him dangerous sounding technique. His teammates might be in trouble. Seeing his opponent struggle Sasuke attacked. Gōzu tried to slash him with his claws, but Sasuke rolled forward, avoiding the swipe, and managed to slit the Achilles tendon of Gōzu's right leg, causing his adversary to fall down on one knee and yell out in pain "Ahh you little pest!"

The fight was as good as over. Sasuke hurriedly straightened himself, let go of his sword, spun on his heel to face his immobilized enemy, jumped backwards to build some distance, executed a series hand seals and inhaled deeply.

**_" ** _Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu_**  (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!"_ **

The fireball flew towards the incapacitated Gōzu, who turned his head and  _tried_  to scream, but he was engulfed by the flames and turned into a pile of ash before he could. The sickening stench of burned human flesh filled the immediate environment.

Sasuke stared at the scorched spot for a moment. He defeated two famous chūnin and barely broke a sweat! Yet, for some reason, he didn't feel proud. Sasuke picked up his sword and sheathed it. Everything grew quiet and all of a sudden thick mist filled the air, followed by a voice that sent chills down his spine.

**"Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney, heart. Which one should I go after?"**

He could  _barely_  see his hands in front of his face, even with his dōjutsu. What should he do next? Now that he had dealt with his enemies he had to assist his teammates and began to search for them.

* * *

Kakashi was on guard and closed his normal eye. The silence was unbearable! 'It has been a long time since I had to fight under such difficult circumstances. I don't know where he is, thus jutsu would only waste a lot of chakra, and genjutsu are useless. I can only dodge.'

**"Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney, heart. Which one should I go after?"**

' _Please_ , I'm no rookie. That doesn't intimidate me.', Kakashi scoffed. Not even a second after that thought had entered his mind he had to deflect a volley of shuriken with his kunai. He had no time to exhale in relief though because shortly afterwards he was forced to bend his head backwards to evade Zabuza's mighty blade that would have decapitated him.

'Woah That was close! I didn't even hear him approaching! He's truly a master of the  _Sairento Kiringu (Silent killing)_  technique. Maybe  _that_  can buy me some extra time to dodge.' Reaching into his pouch he threw several tiny objects into the mist.

"Hehe Caltrops? You must be getting desperate. Well, I can't blame you, after all, you are the second one who dodged that attack.", the malicious voice announced with pride from seemingly all directions.

"Really, who was the first?", Kakashi asked, sounding interested. Zabuza seemed to enjoy playing with his prey. Small-talk might give him a hint on his position or at the very least stall some time until Naruto arrives. Sadly though he received no answer. Each passing second in that silent hell made of mist, muscles always tense to the extreme, felt like an eternity. If he dropped his guard even for a moment in a false sense of security he would die!

"Looks like you should discipline your students more often, Kakashi. One of them is neglecting his duty. Should I pay the old man a visit? I haven't greeted him properly yet and I don't want to be a bad host."

'He's after Tazuna!', Kakashi thought in panick and sprinted towards the general direction where he last saw Sasuke and Tazuna. A big mistake.

* * *

_Kyaaa_

Hinata screamed in agony and collapsed on her hands and knees. She looked like a pincushion, had cuts all over her body and every movement hurt. This guy found her weakness and was aiming for her blind spot! The girl was physically exhausted and depleted already more than three-quarters of her chakra. Her reserves were dangerously low! To conserve chakra she already reduced the range of her  ** _Byakugan_**  to five meters and the needles sticking out of her were additionally restricting her mobility. If this continues she will pass out soon.

**_" ** _Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu_**  (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!"_ **

A powerful giant fireball engulfed the top mirrors of her prison and she wanted to celebrate internally, but her eyes widened in disbelief. Sasuke's jutsu did no damage at all!

Sasuke himself was also surprised 'I-Impossible! If heat won't work then physical force.' Pulling out some shuriken and kunai he threw them with all his might at a mirror, but they just bounced off. 'Oh come on! Where is the dope when you need him?!'

Haku emerged from one of the mirrors and looked at Sasuke ' ** _Sharingan_**?! He must be a full-blooded Uchiha. No wonder Gōzu and Meizu were defeated. Zabuza-sama will want him alive, Kumo's reward will be even higher.' The masked boy addressed Sasuke "That won't work. Your fire technique is too weak to melt my mirrors and you can't throw your projectiles with enough power to even crack them. The only way to save her... is to step inside."

"No! Don't come inside! It's certain death! The only reason why I'm not dead is... Kyaaa", Hinata hastily tried to warn her teammate, but Haku cut her off and continued his assault as part of his plan 'I will use her as a bait to lure him inside.'

Sasuke hesitated and argued with himself. If even Hinata with her  ** _Byakugan_**  couldn't defend herself in there then what chance does he have? If he died in there he wouldn't be able to avenge his clan, but hearing her pain filled cry was unbearable!

_In the ninja world, those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash._

He remembered that phrase and his body moved on his own.

_Clang_

Sasuke was now inside and deflected a needle that would have pierced Hinata's thigh with his tantō. He began to swiftly remove some of the needles in order to give her some mobility back and asked "Hinata, can you stand?", while never taking one eye away from the mirror Haku currently occupied whom he had tracked down with his  ** _Sharingan_**  while he threw his needles at Hinata.

A cry echoed trough the air that seemed to have caught Haku's attention, buying them some time.

Hinata shakily got back onto her feet, breathing heavily, and informed her teammate about what she found out "He's g-getting... s-slower the l-longer he... maintains the j-jutsu... and the more... he m-moves."

He gave her his last two kunai because it was obvious that she was low on chakra, so she would deflect the needles with them, and spoke "I will cover your back and you mine. We will cover our blind spots. If he's getting slower you have to endure this a little longer until I can hit him. Without your help I won't make it."

'Good plan, but it won't work. I still have half of my chakra left, whereas the girl looks like she will collapse soon.', Haku analyzed and prepared himself to strike. The mirrors illuminated and the air was filled with needles again. Both genin stood back to back and worked in perfect unison. Not a single needle passed their combined defense.

The masked boy intensified his assaulted, giving his all, and focused more on Hinata than Sasuke. That tactic began to show effect and some needles pierced her again. "Hinata! Don't give up!", Sasuke yelled while he focused on Haku. Keeping track of him became indeed much easier as time went by.

Haku left one of his mirrors and time seemed to slow down 'Now burn, bastard!' Sasuke let his tantō fall to the ground, performed the necessary seals, and aimed his jutsu at their flying enemy.

**_"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu)!"_ **

Instead of a single large one Sasuke created a volley of small yet much quicker fireballs. However, to his astonishment, Haku evaded them and only one scorched his pants 'What, he can dodge them in mid-flight?!' and to make matters worse, Hinata collapsed on her knees again, deactivating her  ** _Byakugan_**. It was looking bad!

"Do you now realize how fruitless your resistance is? I admire your resolve, but..."

**"Grab a hold! _Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)_!"**

* * *

Kakashi sprinted towards Tazuna's last position, only to run straight into Zabuza's blade that pierced him right through his torso! His lone eye widened and blood gushed out of his wound. "Hehe Caring for others is a weakne...  **AAAAAHHHHH** "

_Kakashi_  dissolved into lighting, electrocuting Zabuza, and  _Tazuna_ , who wandered around seemingly aimless in the mist received the lightning shadow clone's memories, whereupon he ran at his full speed in the direction Zabuza's scream originated from. A puff of smoke engulfed Tazuna and revealed the real Kakashi charging his signature attack  ** _"Raikiri (Lightning Blade)!"_**.

Zabuza saw a blue shimmer coming closer and tried to will his body to move 'Shit move!' His body responded just in time and he avoided certain death by dodging to his right. However, the attack still hit his left upper-arm, inflicting a grievous wound, burning the flesh and skin, making him grunt in pain.

Both fighters passed each other. Zabuza quickly closed his eyes and concealed himself in the mist once again. The pain was grand, but he could ignore it. What he couldn't ignore on the other hand was his arm hanging limp. 'I can't perform any ninjutsu like that! Furthermore, where is the bridge builder? At least my other arm is ok and I can still wield my blade one-handed.'

"Where is the bridge builder, and when did you create that  ** _Raiton: Kage Bunshin (Lightning Release: Shadow Clone)_**?!", Zabuza growled.

Kakashi used up two third of his chakra by now and felt worn-out. His active  _ **Sharingan**_  was draining his reserves even further at a fast pace due to him not being a full-blooded Uchiha. That special shadow clone, a normal shadow clone  _and_  his finisher were taxing techniques. He must save his chakra from now on. It would be best to stall more time until Naruto arrives. 'I'm getting worried. He should have arrived a long time ago.'

"Before my team arrived at the bridge I created it to take my place and went ahead. I hid myself under the bridge and also witnessed how you and the  _Oni Kyōdai_ _(Demon brothers)_  massacred the workers."

"...I'm honestly impressed. I haven't noticed you and neither did my best tool.", Zabuza remarked in astonishment.

Kakashi frowned at the word  _tool_  and continued "Well, I kept good distance and was really careful..." 'Experience and ANBU training helped too.' "... Also, do you remember the smoke screen?"

Zabuza frowned at the memory of the disgusting smell "Yes, I thought that stink bomb was supposed to mark us, so you could track us with your nose in a mist like this one."

"That would have been a  _really_  helpful side effect, but its main purpose was to simply block your view. I came out of hiding, formed a  ** _Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone)_** , and used the  ** _Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Replacement Technique)_**  to substitute myself with Tazuna while the smoke and stench distracted you. I immediately used a  ** _Henge_**  to look like Tazuna, put up an act, and held my distance so you wouldn't notice the disguise. My clone took care of Tazuna."

'Hmm So he used that clone to learn what I'm capable of, clever, and another one is running around, good to know. While I still have three-quarter of my chakra left I'm wounded and can't afford to play anymore. Hell, I almost died! Cunning bastard, he lives up to his name.', Zabuza noted and spoke "Not bad. Now, how about we get serious and end this little..."

**"Grab a hold! _Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)_!"**

'Finally!', all members of Team Seven thought collectively. Kakashi channeled chakra to his feet. Sasuke grabbed the semi-conscious Hinata  _tightly_  around her waist and did the same as Kakashi. What followed was comparable to a hurricane and the raging winds blew away the mist. Haku was unaffected, because he hid himself in one of his mirrors, and Zabuza had slammed his sword into the concrete. Once that storm subsided Kakashi's shadow clone emerged from under the bridge with Tazuna on his back and let him down, but didn't disperse itself to guard Tazuna and ready to assist the original if necessary.

"I hope I'm not late to the party.", commented a serious looking Naruto who stood close to Haku's ice dome. His expression became much more sinister after he laid his eyes on Hinata.

"Dope! What took you so long?! Have you found a ramen bar along the way and stopped for a bite to eat?!", Sasuke scowled at him, but Naruto replied with a question of his own. "Is she alive?" to which Sasuke nodded.

Haku narrowed his eyes at the blonde behind his mask 'Who is this boy?'

Zabuza couldn't believe his eyes. 'What?! That  _kid_  used such a powerful wind technique and doesn't look like he's tired at all! Unbelievable, he should be half-dead!' An ordinary wind jutsu couldn't blow his chakra infused mist away like that. That was only possible if the user puts an extreme load of chakra into it.

"To answer your question, it wasn't my fault.", Naruto defended himself.

* * *

**Flashback**

"Hehe that was fun, Zōri.", exclaimed a tall, brown-haired, and bare-chested man to his companion. He wore an eye-patch over his right eye, his left side was tattooed, and he carried a katana on his right side.

"Yes, I agree, Waraji, but you played a bit too long with that boar. We have a job to do.", answered a man, only few inches smaller than Waraji, with bluish-white hair, covered mostly by his purple hat. He had black eyes with lined markings tattooed under them, wore a blue jacket, and carried a katana on his left side. Both were ex samurai and now Gatō's bodyguards.

"Says the guy who arrived five minutes late because he just had to bet with a thimble rigger and lost 10.000 Ryo. You should know that all of them cheat.", Waraji retorted and Zōri growled in response "Don't remind me."

Both walked out of the woods and Tazuna's house came into view. Zōri looked at Waraji "There it is. Let's kill their guardian, grab the bitch and her brat and be done with it." They walked towards the building, but stopped when all of a sudden a blond boy in a suit landed in front of them and they grinned wickedly. It will be fun to cut him into pieces.

Naruto was disgusted at the feeling he received from them. The duo clutched the hilt of their swords and lunged at him simultaneously with a battle cry. As they were almost in reach he said  _ **"Soru (Shave)"**_ and all they cut was air because their target just seemed to have vanished!

Their eyes widened, however, not from confusion or shock, but due to the blonde's index fingers piercing the back of their necks, killing them swiftly. ** _"Tsuin Shigan (Twin Finger Pistol)"_** , he called out the name of his attack, pulled his fingers out, landed on his feet, and cleaned them with his handkerchief while their bodies and swords fell onto the ground with a thud.

'They just send these two pathetic weaklings?', the boy thought in suspicion and a bit of disappointment should it turn out to be true. After he scouted the immediate area he went back into the house, where Tsunami and Inari sat in the kitchen and addressed them "It's over. You are safe. I'm going to aid my team now and free you once and for all, dattebayo."

Tsunami wordlessly nodded and he turned to leave. However, before he left the room Inari said "You are just running towards your own death!" Naruto briefly stopped, but didn't even bother to look at him, saying "We will see." and ran to assist his team.

**Flashback End**

* * *

"To answer your question, it wasn't my fault.", Naruto defended himself.

Sasuke put Hinata's left arm around his shoulder and neck to support her. She tried to identify the blonde's silhouette with her blurry vision 'N-Naruto-kun?'. The girl had overused her  _ **Byakugan**_  to perceive Haku's deadly hailstorm of needles and it put her eyes under immense strain, but she would regain her vision quickly.

Haku saw that both were momentarily distracted and decided to use their mistake to his advantage. 'I must take them out as fast as I can. The blonde one is powerful and I can't let them intervene when I face him.' He flew straight at a mirror from where he could hit Sasuke's neck in his blind spot at the right angle to put him in a death like state... only to meet a fist in midair.

**_" ** _ _Jūgon__**  (Stern Beast)!"_ **

Naruto's punch was strong enough to send a  _small_  shockwave through the air! He had used  ** _Geppō_** ** _(Moonwalk)_**  in conjunction with  ** _Soru (Shave)_** , leaving thin cracks in the concrete, to jump with all the power he could muster and intercepted Haku. The force shattered his mask into pieces and send him flying right through one of his own mirrors for a considerable distance. Naruto grunted in pain, using this inferior version of  ** _Kamisori (Razor)_**  puts his leg muscles under immense strain and he risked to tear them, but he had to save his teammates at all cost.

**"Haku!"** , Zabuza cried out and Kakashi raised an eyebrow. 'After all his talk about shinobi being replaceable tools he seems to care about this boy though. Maybe there is still some humanity left in him.' and nodded at his shadow clone that used this moment of emotional distraction.

Said boy landed hard on the ground and rolled a few times. Zabuza's face reflected utter shock. No one has ever been able to  _physically_  hit Haku in his ice dome, which now slowly collapsed around the three genin. The blonde's strength was astounding, maybe even on par with his own!

Suddenly, his honed senses warned him to dodge an incoming attack. Looking to his left he saw Kakashi running straight at him, holding a spiralling blue sphere in his right hand.

'What is that?!', Zabuza thought in amazement as he prepared himself to dodge and retaliate with a slash of his blade, but his eyes widened when he felt a strong grip around his neck and good arm. While the real Kakashi had captured his attention the shadow clone sneaked up on him! The clone was restraining his movements and sent chakra to its feet in order to stick to the ground, holding Zabuza in place. The missing-nin used his superior strength to overpower the clone and it showed effect, but it was already too late to escape the Shinigami.

_**"Rasengan!"**_ , Kakashi called out the name of the technique and slammed the spiraling chakra sphere into Zabuza's ribcage,  _shredding_  it open and sending out a gush of blood that coated him as well as the ground in red. His  _ **Sharingan**_  would burn this gruesome picture forever into his mind. While he could have used his signature move he didn't want to waste any more chakra than necessary, no need to show off, and his sensei's technique was deadly in capable hands.

**"AAAHH..."** , Zabuza's cry of pure agony quickly died down. Kakashi, whose clone dispersed itself, pulled his hand out of his opponent's body, jumped backwards, and watched the last moments of the  _Kirigakure no Kijin (Demon of the Hidden Mist)_  in silent respect as did his genin.

Zabuza's body fell forward. The pain and his vision were slowly fading away. 'So it ends here, eh. Killed at the hands of  _Kopī Ninja no Kakashi_... I was never meant to die of old age anyway. See you on the other side for a rematch, Kakashi... Haku, thank you for everything. I hope we never meet in the afterlife, because... I go to hell...'

_Clang_

_Thud_

Haku's eyes shot open, because he heard his master's scream. He slowly pushed himself up with his arms through sheer willpower alone, spat a glob of blood, and shakily got back on his feet. Only to clutch his head and fall on his knees again at the sight of his master's corpse. He sobbed, trembled, and released a heart wrenching cry that echoed through the air.

**"Zabuza-sama!"**

All attention was now on him, but he didn't care. Haku started to wail 'I... I failed to protect you... Zabuza-sama...' and he remembered the first time they met 'You gave me a purpose and took me in when everyone else rejected me... I can't live in a world without you, I'm not needed anymore... A tool without a wielder...'

Meanwhile, Team Seven and Tazuna moved closer to each other. Sasuke asked "Sensei, what about him?"

"I'm not sure if it's safe to approach him, stay back.", Kakashi replied.

Suddenly, Haku got up again, putting them on the edge. He glanced at Hinata and Sasuke with his tear-stained feminine face and spoke "You two... are strong."

'What does he mean? I was the one who defeated him.', Naruto thought in confusion and cocked an eyebrow.

The boy then turned his body to face his master's corpse again and whispered "Zabuza-sama...", crying even harder and executed seals with just  _one_  hand, stunning the group. Using the water in his immediate environment he formed ice needles that floated all around him.

'What is he planning?', the members of Team Seven and Tazuna thought collectively.

Haku stuttered out between choked sobs  _ **" _ **Hyōton:**_  Sensatsu Suishō (Ice Release: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death)"**_

The needles flew directly towards the unmoving Haku and the boy was impaled by his own attack! The genin flinched at the sight, Tazuna was horrified, and Kakashi just watched with a sad expression, thinking 'They must have shared a very special bond.', covered his  ** _Sharingan_** , and sat down.

That battle took a toll on him and he had to rest now. He glanced at Sasuke, who still had his dōjutsu active...  _three_  tomoe in each eye. Silence followed and Sasuke, who put Hinata carefully down, finally disabled his  ** _Sharingan_**.

About a minute passed and Tazuna was the first to break the uncomfortable silence. "So... it's over now?"

Kakashi and Naruto frowned. They sensed trouble and Kakashi replied "I don't think so."

Both turned their heads towards the incomplete part of the bridge and their gesture was mimicked by the others. In the distance a large crowd that arrived in a boat approached them, led by a small figure.

The horde revealed to be a small army of criminals, armed with all kinds of weapons. Swords, sledgehammers, spears, clubs, knifes... literally anything that could cut or shred an opponent into pieces or break bones and their expressions were... sinister. They stopped about twenty meters in front of Team Seven and the bridge builder.

Kakashi grew worried. 'In our weakened state neither Hinata nor I can be of any help against so many opponents. Sasuke doesn't show it, but I know he's tired as well. That leaves only Naruto. He seems fit, but can he really take them on all by himself? We have to retreat and rest.'

"Well, well, well. That missing-nin failed. If you want something done right you have to do it yourself.", a small man with brown hair, sunglasses, and a business suit announced with a grin. He glanced at Zabuza's corpse, the grin never leaving his face, on the contrary, it even grew wider at the sight of the pool of blood that surrounded the corpse "A pity I couldn't kill him myself, but he seemed to have  _suffered_. I can take solace from that fact.", and addressed Tazuna, who stepped back in fear "And you! You have been a thorn in my flesh for so long. I will never leave this country. You and your people belong to me. I own you... "

Naruto had heard enough. Rage was burning inside of him like never before and the words of that despicable midget only fueled it even more. The air around him changed and he moved forward to face Gatō. Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder, causing Naruto to turn his head and look at his sensei.

His eyes were red and slitted, but his voice was calm "Let... me... go." Facts that made Kakashi lone eye grow wide in dread and he complied. Naruto let his bangs shadow his eyes and continued his walk. The others haven't noticed this physical change yet.

Sasuke protested "W-What is the dope thinking? Is he out of his mind? Sensei!" and Kakashi cut him off "Quiet, Sasuke!"

Gatō saw the blonde slowly approaching him, who stopped about ten meters in front of him, not moving, and asked "Who are you, kid?"

Naruto answered with his own question "Are you Gatō?" to which the small man adjusted his glasses in response and declared proudly "Hehe Of course, the one and only! Do you want an autograph?"

"You will never hurt someone again. I will stop you right here and now. I'm going to bring you to justice... _Yami no Seigi (Dark Justice)._ ", Naruto suddenly exclaimed.

After a few seconds of silence Gatō along with his goons began to snicker and soon burst out into a fit of laughter.

'This is going to get ugly!', thought Kakashi.

"Haha  _You_  will stop  _me?_  Good joke! What can a kid like you...  _do_." The last syllable Gatō spoke with fear clearly evident in his voice as he met the boy's eyes, who during his reply had slowly raised his head, and the men behind him yelped in surprise.

Naruto's features have changed. Aside from being red and slitted his eyes were surrounded by a black pigmentation. His lips turned black and his canine teeth grew longer and sharper as did his nails. Furthermore, his whisker marks widened and thickened, making him look even more feral, and his blond hair became longer and spikier.

Despite only facing his back Tazuna and the rest of Team Seven noticed that something about Naruto was off. However, much to Kakashi's surprise, he didn't leak killing intent uncontrollably like the Nine-Tails did so many years ago when it attacked Konoha.

**_"Soru (Shave)!"_ **

In an instant, Naruto stood in front of Gatō, holding him by his throat with his left hand and lifted the slightly taller and heavier man up, who reacted on instinct and grabbed the boy's outstretched forearm with his hands and his sunglasses fell down. It happened so fast that not even Kakashi, who was sweating bullets at the moment, saw the boy moving! Everyone was shocked and unable to move. The boy kept eye contact with Gatō, who pissed himself. The pee was running down his pants and dripped onto the ground. Naruto's grip was loose enough so that Gatō would still be able to speak.

The blonde spoke in a demonic influenced voice **"You enjoy seeing people suffer! The lives and feelings of others mean absolutely nothing to you! You brought misery and grief to the people of** **Nami no Kuni** **for your own amusement and profit!"**

"P-Please... don't k-k-kill m-me I-I c-can give y-you e-e-everything you d-desire! Argh", the boy's grip tightened.

**"You want me to spare your life?! Did you spare Kaiza's life?!"**

"Kai...za? Urgh", Naruto was now choking him.

**"Let me refresh your memory! _You must protect what is precious to you with both your arms, even if it costs you your life!_  Does that ring a bell?!..."**, Gatō was unable to speak so he just wordlessly nodded. He indeed remembered that phrase.  **"... You tore his family apart and even killed him in front of them! For that alone I won't forgive you!"**

After Naruto finished the last line of his speech he pulled his right arm back, extended his clawed index finger and rapidly pushed it into multiple parts of Gatō's torso.

_**"Shigan _Ōren_  (Finger Pistol: Yellow Lotus)!"** _

He made sure to avoid any vital points, but the wounds were still fatal and without treatment Gatō would bleed to death within the next two minutes, give or take a few seconds, and experience agonizing pain. However, Naruto wasn't finished yet. He then threw Gatō off the bridge without moving away from his spot as if he was a piece of garbage to let him drown.

_Splash_

Hinata, Sasuke, and Tazuna couldn't believe their eyes and stood rooted to their spot, staring incredulously. Just what was going on? The once kind and cheerful Naruto seemed to be gone.

Kakashi didn't really know what to do 'It was obviously Naruto who spoke and not the Kyūbi. What is going on? Can he control that power?'

Naruto now fixed the horrified crowd of criminals in a deadly glare. One of them mustered up some courage and shakily pointed his weapon at the kyūbified Naruto and said "W-What are y-you looking at... Stay away m-monster! We outnumber y-you!"

**"He might have been the head, but you were the neck that supported him. You are as guilty as he was!"**

'I-Is he g-going to...', Kakashi's train of thoughts was interrupted by Naruto shouting _ **"Soru (Shave)"**_. What followed was a gruesome massacre! Kakashi saw many cruel acts in his life, but few were comparable to the bloodbath he now witnessed. His sensei's son mowed down the crowd to the last man and showed no mercy, mauling the criminals.

The Kyūbi's chakra seemed to have amplified his speed, strength, and resistance several times over. At first, they tried to defend themselves, but against the blonde's techniques any resistance was futile. Their weapons either didn't do any damage at all or broke against Naruto's  ** _Tekkai (Iron Mass)_**. Those who witnessed that quickly lost hope and ran for their lives. Many tried to reach the boat or to jump off the bridge, though, Naruto wouldn't let them. He pierced them with  ** _Shigan (Finger Pistol)_** , sliced through several at once with  ** _Rankyaku (Storm Leg)_** , and sometimes tore one of them apart with his raw strength alone! Their desperate cries echoed through the air and the corpses lied in a sea of blood and innards. Also, the sickening stench of death filled the air.

Tazuna fell onto his knees and vomited. Hinata hid her eyes behind her hands, crying, and Sasuke trembled in tremendous fear. That sight resurfaced some of the cruel pictures his brother had shown him countless of times. How could his brother do something like that to his own family? Kakashi wasn't affected that much since he saw massacres comparable to that. He was worried that Naruto would attack them! After about a minute it was finally over.

_Drip Drip Drip_

Blood dripped down from Naruto's hands, which were now completely soaked in the red liquid as was a good part of his once black suit. He stood between piles of corpses and body parts in an ocean of blood, staring at nothing in particular. The number of people he killed today was 107.

After what felt like an eternity Naruto faced the last four still breathing people on the bridge and saw their horrified looks. Partially for what he did, but also because of his appearance. He was no moron and of course noticed his longer and sharper teeth and nails.

A voice began to scream in his head... a voice that was not his own!  **'Kill them! Kill them just like others! Make them scream! ...'**

Naruto's bloodlust was grand and his heart raced with excitement, but he could suppress the urge with the mental discipline and willpower he had developed over the years. He wouldn't hurt innocent people and certainly not his precious people!

The blonde felt vile chakra flowing through his chakra pathways and how it damaged his body, it hurt. Closing his eyes he focused on dispersing it and began to slowly revert back. Just what was that? It definitely came out of his belly. When he couldn't feel a single trace of it anymore he opened his eyes, which were blue again, and approached the stunned group.

Naruto saw Sasuke trembling and asked with a mocking smirk "What's wrong, teme. Are you a scaredy cat?"

"Naruto! Do you realize what you have done?! Doesn't it affect you at all?!", a wide-eyed Kakashi inquired. How could he shrug it off like that, even joke afterwards?

"Why should it affect me? They were criminals, so I killed them in the name of justice. They didn't deserve to live in the first place, hence they are dead.", he stated in a matter of fact tone and shrugged.

_Slap_

'H-Hinata?!', they thought in surprise. Naruto's left cheek stung a bit. She was sobbing and screamed at him  **"They d-didn't deserve to l-live?! Who are you to decide that?!"**

"Every single one of them was rotten to the core, Hinata. I... felt it, and I won't apologize for what I have done. Evil shall not prosper in this world. I believe in  _Yami no Seigi (Dark Justice)_.", he defended himself.

After what he did they had an idea what Naruto meant with that phrase. Hinata tackled him down and began to beat Naruto's face, who didn't do anything against the beating he received. Sasuke, Kakashi, and Tazuna were speechless once again.

**"Who are you?! You are not Naruto! You are a monster! A heartless killing machine!"** , her tears landed on his face and he also began to cry. Seeing his adopted little sister sad and her comment hurt him more than any physical wound possibly could. Her beating continued for a moment until Kakashi grabbed her wrist.

"Stop! You know how stubborn he is. If he truly believes in that we won't be able to change it by force... We might have been forced to kill them anyway. The fact that he doesn't attack you or even tries to defend himself proves that you are more important to him than anything else, he's still Naruto!", he said and thought 'A lot of things happened today that will scar them for life.'

Hinata closed her eyes and mulled her sensei's words over. It was true! Opening them again she looked into Naruto's teary orbs. A monster wouldn't cry. She got up and offered him a hand, despite seeing all the blood on his "I'm sorry for calling you a monster, Naruto-kun.", which he took and nodded, accepting her apology, and she helped him up.

Kakashi took a  _deep_  breath and began to speak "Listen, it's over now. I have some things to do. As soon as I'm finished we will go back to Tazuna's house, rest, eat, and clean ourselves. Once I feel better I will clean this mess with water and fire jutsu so Tazuna can complete the bridge and we will stay until it's finished, understand?" to which they all nodded.

He walked towards Meizu's, Haku's, and Zabuza's corpses and sealed them into scrolls as well as the blade. From Meizu's and Zabuza's body Konoha might learn some of Kirigakure's secrets and the Kubikiribōchō (Executioner's Blade) would be a trophy for the village, showing the world Konoha's strength. However, he would bury Haku out of respect for Zabuza and the boy was  _officially_  not a ninja. Once he finished the task they set off, neither of them saying a single word until they arrived at their destination.

* * *

Unbeknownst to all of them, the events on the bridge have been watched from afar through telescopes by two carefully hidden Kumogakure spies on the mainland, who really enjoyed the free show.

"Man, that blond kid could become a dangerous shinobi in the future. Did you see the hurricane he caused and how he changed? He must possess an unknown kekkei genkai and massacred 105 people  _(plus Waraji and Zōri)_. Hell, some weapons even broke against his skin and I couldn't see him move! That boy's kekkei genkai seems to be a combination of  ** _Kōton (Steel Release)_**  and  ** _Jinton (_** ** _Swift Release)_**.

Furthermore, the Uchiha boy defeated the  _Oni Kyōdai_ _(Demon brothers)_ without much trouble and that jutsu Kakashi used to kill Zabuza was amazing. Shape manipulation at its finest. A shame the damn mist hid a good part of the fight.", the first one said.

"Yea, I also would have liked to see what happened inside. Once they leave we will infiltrate the island and find out their names.", the other one replied.

* * *

The group reached Tazuna's home and the sight of all the blood on Naruto disturbed Tsunami and Inari. Tazuna told both what he saw, but of course he let all the gruesome details out, making them speechless, especially Inari. The ninja fought and won! They were free, just like Naruto had said and he now believed in heroes again. Tazuna would soon announce their freedom and the names of their liberators to the citizens and mobilize them to finish the bridge. The people celebrated the entire night during which Kakashi cleaned the mess on the bridge.

Team Seven continued its mission dutifully and supervised the construction of the bridge. The people cheered when they saw them and called them their heroes, some even took pictures. The genin would smile back at the citizens as well as converse with them every now and then. Sometimes, during their stay, a small war broke out between the Naruto and Sasuke fangirls, with the latter often emerging victorious due to their advantage in numbers since Sasuke had approximately four times more fangirls.

As time went by Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata regained some of their cheerfulness back after Kakashi talked with each of them individually for his mission report and gave them encouraging words. They all performed exceptionally well.

Though, one thing that troubled Kakashi while talking to Naruto was that the boy questioned him if he knew why he partially transformed on the bridge. He of course denied, but the blonde seemed to somehow know that he lied and was very persistent. In the end Kakashi told him that only the Hokage could tell him and Naruto seemed to accept the answer for now. He really hoped the boy wouldn't tear the Hokage Tower apart when the Hokage reveals the truth to him... if he tells him.

With the help of the entire village Tazuna completed his masterpiece in just three days instead of a weak and Squad Seven had to go home. They bid Tazuna and his family farewell and just waved goodbye to the rest. Naruto was sad that he wouldn't be able to see Tsunami for probably a very long time. He felt that he had bonded with her during their stay and their farewell was very emotional. They hugged each other affectionately and she kissed his forehead, making his cheeks flush, and giggled at the cute sight.

The group marched from one end of the bridge to the other, still hearing the cheers on the other side. As Tazuna's family watched their retreating backs Tsunami asked "Dad, you still haven't named the bridge?" and Inari agreed "Yes, mom is right."

"Hmm..." He tried to remember the events on the bridge in order to think of a fitting name and recalled what Naruto believes in. "Oh I have a good one...  _The Bridge of Dark Justice_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why did Hinata beat him up?
> 
> Hinata is kind and cherishes all life. Also, after witnessing Zabuza's death, Haku committing suicide, and the massacre she became emotionally agitated. Till that moment, she only knew Naruto's kind and caring side and after seeing him so ruthlessly tearing people apart, literally, she didn't recognize him anymore. She basically wanted to have the old Naruto back, but after seeing him cry Hinata knew that he was still human and not a heartless killing machine.
> 
> Why didn't Naruto use Tekkai, when Hinata beat him up?
> 
> First, the beating itself didn't hurt him that much, he didn't bleed nor did he show any other signs of physical pain. Her words hurt him much more. Second, Hinata might have hurt her hands.


	8. Pride Above All

**Chapter 8 - Pride Above All**

Team Seven was heading home at a moderate pace, moving along a sparsely used road leading to Konoha's east gate. Kakashi was taking the lead, followed closely by Hinata and Sasuke, who walked next to each other, and Naruto not far behind them. Hinata walked with her hands folded behind her back, marveling at the beautiful red and orange colors of the sunset on the horizon to her left, captivated by its beauty, and Sasuke was memorizing the Bingo Book to her right with his  ** _Sharingan_**.

Kakashi decided to let all of them memorize the book, because it not only provides combat relevant and verified intel about missing-nin and wanted criminals, but many dangerous regular shinobi as well, and handed the copy he carried with him to a bored Sasuke. After all, possessing trustworthy and up to date information about your foe beforehand can make the difference between victory and defeat.

His blond pupil apparently also wanted to use time productively and tried to burst a rubber ball using  _only_  his chakra, which he held tightly in his right palm, and stared at it intently, but nonetheless paid attention to his surroundings like every decent shinobi should. Beads of sweat covered his face and he focused on making the air inside the ball rotate in multiple directions at once with his chakra, the second stage out of three required to overcome in order to master the  _ **Rasengan**_.

Naruto was mesmerized by the spiraling blue sphere ever since he saw Kakashi finishing off Zabuza with it and asked, or rather pestered and pleaded, his sensei to teach him this jutsu, who agreed and explained him the basics as well as its origins, albeit somewhat reluctantly. Needless to say the boy was utterly speechless.

One thing was certain, he definitely didn't want to be on the receiving end of that technique, especially after he had witnessed the damage it can cause to the human body and one unfortunate tree that served as a target for demonstration, not even with his most powerful  ** _Tekkai (Iron Mass)_**. The sheer destructive force of this still incomplete technique is in a league of its own, literally as if someone held the devastating power of a miniature typhoon in hand!

Luckily, there was no need to worry about such a scenario, because only two people in the entire world knew how to perform that jutsu, his sensei and the  _Toad Sage_  Jiraiya, both allies and famous shinobi, yet, like the Yondaime Hokage himself, the man who had invented the technique, they were unable to add their elemental affinity to it, something Naruto intended to accomplish. He would achieve what ninja of such a calibre couldn't and complete, perhaps also modify, the technique and turn it into his very own signature move.

Looking up at the slowly darkening sky, silently wishing Jiraiya would finally release the next edition of the  _Icha Icha_  series, Kakashi came to the conclusion that they must set up a camp for the overnight soon.

'We should arrive back home around noon if we set out early in the morning and keep this pace. Hokage-sama probably awaits me and Naruto already. The boy demands answers and is not easily deceived. After all, he somehow saw through my lie. I believe Hokage-sama will have no choice but to reveal the truth to him. I'm curious though just how much he's going to tell him and if Naruto can cope with it.', the jōnin thought in concern due to the fragility of his blond pupil's mind, having feared this moment ever since the boy had displayed highly disturbing behavior while he had introduced himself on the roof of the academy.

After interviewing all of his students Kakashi had finished the mission report and summoned Pakkun, one of his loyal ninken (ninja dogs), and told him to deliver it to Hiruzen as fast as he could, giving the Hokage more time to for one thing reach a decision on how much he would tell Naruto and for another thing to contact Jiraiya, the only person capable of fixing the seal if it has been damaged. Fortunately though it doesn't appear as if that was the case and Naruto showed surprisingly formidable control over the vile chakra of the Kyūbi, despite obviously being absolutely livid at that point in time.

The personal discussion he had with his blond student was truly enlightening. 'As much as Naruto has progressed in the shinobi arts he's still an emotionally scarred child at heart with a dangerous ideology that might get him killed one day. He only thinks in black and white, whereas reality has a thousand shades of grey, something the boy fails to realize yet. Being a ninja is sometimes nasty business and you can't simply refuse a mission assigned to you by the Hokage, even if it goes against your beliefs. I have done deeds for which I cannot forgive myself, as will you three.', Kakashi mused and his lone black eye reflected sadness and shame as he recalled a specific S-rank mission during his ANBU days.

He and his elite squad had to sneak into a well fortified castle, guarded by six dozen highly trained samurai, and kill the daimyō of a small country, a good man who never looked down on the common people because of his status unlike most of the other daimyō's, but unfortunately he became a thorn in the flesh of his peers. That in itself wasn't what bothered him though. Their order also included to exterminate the man's bloodline, consequently eliminating his pregnant wife and seven-year old daughter was part of the job. A fairly easy task, Konoha's reward, three million ryō. This world is such a cruel place.

All of a sudden, his train of depressing thoughts were interrupted by Sasuke "Wow! Sensei, you never told us that your head is worth 77 million ryō!", he heard him exclaim in astonishment, stunning Naruto and Hinata.

The blonde stopped practicing, resulting in the various dents on the ball's surface to disappear, and looked at his sensei in wonder "I-Incredible! Kakashi-sensei, why did you never tell us?!", he inquired, truly amazed at such an insanely high sum, whereupon Kakashi just shrugged in response.

"Well, I didn't tell you because I'm neither proud of it nor do I think it's relevant and you three shouldn't place value on such things either. Many ninja see high bounties as a sign of strength and it can give you a global reputation...", at this Naruto's ears perked up. That's  _exactly_  what he always wanted. His dream is to acquire wealth, fame, and power, to make a name for himself, gaining everyone's respect in the process and become a legend among legends by his own strength.

Nonetheless, there was another reason why he sought strength so desperately, why he desired to be the best. To protect those precious to him. To fulfil that goal he has to get stronger than anyone else! That way he will be able to keep them safe, thus Naruto would continue to train like a maniac day in day out.

'They all might hate me, but I couldn't care less, I'm happy because of you. You are my nakama...  _my_   _family_. I won't forgive anyone who tries to take you away from me, good reason or not. That person won't live to see another day, dattebayo.', Naruto thought and made an unspoken promise.

"... However, keep in mind that such a reputation comes at a price definitely not worth it, bounty hunter and others will be out for your head! Remember, we are ninja, thus should avoid unnecessary attention. Four criteria determine the amount of a bounty, individual skill, kekkei genkai, threat level, and noteworthy accomplishments. Normally, the reward will only be paid if the corpse can still be clearly identified, usually in carefully hidden bounty stations throughout the elemental nations, but sometimes people are wanted because of a rare kekkei genkai, hence they have to be kept alive for... well, you know why. Once issued a bounty can last for fifty years if the wanted person is not proven to be dead.", he finished his tedious explanation with a sigh.

Kakashi knew the lands around Konoha inside out and will lead them to a suitable site to pitch camp not far from their current position.

Unnoticed by everyone, Naruto grinned from ear to ear in excitement, despite the burning pain in his right arm due to the strain he had put on his chakra pathway system and feeling a bit tired, showing his slightly sharper than average canine teeth.

Someday  _his_  name,  _Naruto Uzumaki_ , will be written in that book too, just like Kakashi-sensei's. He will gain the highest bounty ever and step into the ranks of greatness! 'Yes, I will prove my existence and make my enemies tremble before my might, I will become legendary!'

The blonde was very grateful to have been sent on this escort mission to Nami no Kuni and mulled over the events that took place. Firstly, he gained another precious person, Tsunami. Secondly, he freed the entire country by crushing Gatō and his goons like the pests they were, bringing peace to the land, and lastly, this assignment taught him various important lessons about life and shaped his beliefs.

Seeing Inari crying and sulking all day, accepting his  _fate_  and having given up all hope, not lifting a single finger to help his grandfather and mother, who risked their lives to bring forth a better future not just for him, but everyone else as well made him want to puke. That was weakness and in his opinion weakness is a sin. Not physical weakness, mental. He really hated cowards like that, people who give themselves up to fate and despised such  _trash_ , though Inari changed and has chosen him as a role model along with Kaiza.

Besides, having confronted Gatō and verifying that he wasn't in the least bit sorry for what he had done showed him that there are some people in this world who are better off dead. The rotten deserve to die and he will kill all of them! You can't live in this world without humanity and justice! They were born only to bring misfortune upon the world and are nothing more than animals in human clothing. Those  _beasts_  must perish for the sake of the innocent people in this world for only their death can truly bring safety and happiness to others. That is Yami no Seigi (Dark Justice), to rid the world from evil without showing mercy since if the tables were turned these  _monsters_  wouldn't show you either, no forgiveness for the crimes they have committed.

All in all, this mission made it obvious to him that there is one certainty in life, if you have power, you can change something. Strength is the  _only_  thing that matters in this world, a world, in which the strong devour the weak. Everyone who believes in something else is just delusional. 'I must continue... continue to train until I become the best!', Naruto was so engrossed in thought that he didn't notice with his additional sense that Hinata, his adopted little sister, was... sulking.

The lavender eyed girl glanced back at Naruto 'Both of them are getting stronger each day. I... I want to w-walk beside them as their e-equal, not being saved like a few days ago, not be a b-burden. I must get stronger too, so they won't need to save me again. If I can't do that, then... then I don't d-deserve to be on the same team as them. A chain is only a-as strong as its w-weakest link...', she stopped thinking any further, taking in Naruto's expression, especially the look in his eyes, reflecting pure unwavering determination, the desire to improve himself, to reach new heights, his will to never give up.

It made the corner of her lips curl up into a small smile and instantly forget such depressing thoughts. She steeled her resolve 'Naruto… You changed me, I'm no longer the person I once was, thank you. I'm going to get stronger,  _much_  stronger, and walk beside you, you will see...', the girl averted her gaze to her raven-haired teammate, remembering Kakashi's lecture that she was part of a team, a lesson Hinata took to heart. '...and you too, Sasuke.'

Staring at his admittedly handsome face caused her cheeks to flush, being reminded that he saw her naked. The blush slowly began to spread across her entire face the longer she looked at him, turning her red as a tomato, recalling how he came to her rescue, the moment he held her close when Naruto unleashed that devastating wind jutsu, pressing her body  _tightly_  against his, and how he supported her once the ice dome crumbled. She could hear her heartbeat thundering in her ears.

Back then, her vision was blurry and she was semi-conscious, but Hinata remembered clearly the feeling of his chest against her back, how good his warmth felt in the cold and how his hot breath made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Ever since that happened the girl tried to avoid him or thinking about him, though the more Hinata tried to forget those memories the worse it became to face him, it was frustrating.

Sasuke could feel someone's eyes resting on him. His head snapped up and he looked to his left, meeting Hinata's lavender-white orbs, who immediately fixed the ground and began to... tap her index fingers together? He blinked. It has been ages since he saw her doing that.

The raven-haired boy didn't know why he was remembering this now of all times, but like every single night that followed the particular  _incident_  his mind's eye projected her nude form again, how she danced and shone in the moonlight, as if it had happened just recently. Additionally, he recalled the feeling of hugging her and the brief moment of inhaling her lovely scent before the raging winds blew it away. It has been so long since he felt someone's warmth. That's why he subconsciously held her tighter than it was necessary and he liked it... who was he kidding he  _loved_  it, the feeling of comfort.

Suddenly, he began to feel weird again. A completely uncharacteristic pink tint formed on his cheeks and his heart was beating faster. Sasuke shook his head violently 'What the hell is happening to me? This has never happened before in my life. Focus dammit!' The young boy guessed he might be hitting puberty full force. Indeed, he was willing to admit that he thought Hinata was attractive. He couldn't deceive himself after all. However, Sasuke would  _not_  allow her or any other girl to distract him from his goal to kill his  _brother_ , so he resumed reading this really interesting piece of literature.

Zabuza, Gōzu, and Meizu, the men Kakashi hyped up so much were apparently just tadpoles in an ocean full of sharks! Surprisingly, the biggest predator of them all was someone wholly unexpected, Hiruzen Sarutobi aka  _Saru (Monkey), Shinobi no Kami_ , or _Purofessā_  with an astronomical bounty of 230 million ryō on his head. His respect towards this inconspicuous and seemingly feeble old man rose significantly due to all of his achievements.

The two chūnin Sasuke had killed, despite being pretty famous, were worth just lousy 650.000 ryō each. Even Zabuza's weapon, the Kubikiribōchō, was several times more worth than both of them combined. Kiri, believe it or not, is willing to pay 30 million ryō for the sword and for the  _Demon of the Hidden Mist_  himself impressive 44 million ryō. He continued to flick through the pages of the Bingo Book for some time, studying it carefully with the aid of his dōjutsu until he came face to face with a demon of his past, causing him and subsequently the others to halt. His  ** _Sharingan_**  started to spin wildly, eyes flaring with rage. The boy clenched his teeth in anger and clutched the book tightly while viewing deep buried memories in his mind's eye.

Kakashi turned around and narrowed his lone eye at him, already suspecting what he must have stumbled upon 'I didn't expect him to react so strongly just by looking at a picture. To imagine what could happen should we run into  _him_  for real. He probably would abandon all reason for madness and charge him head on, throwing his life away. Guess I will have a word with him later on.'

Hinata as well as Naruto watched him in worry. The blonde sensed the intense waves of the hatred, anger, and... most predominately bloodlust radiating from his best friend, who over the course of time became like a brother to him, as if experiencing his emotions himself.

Sasuke filled the air with the heavy pressure of killing intent, making Hinata take a few steps backwards "Sasuke-kun, w-what's wrong? You can tell us.", she asked quietly in a soothing voice, taken aback by his outburst, hoping to calm her enraged teammate, who slammed the book shut and replied "Nothing" barely above a whisper.

"I don't buy that, teme.", Naruto retorted loudly.

**"I said nothing!"** , Sasuke snapped back at him and Hinata moved away from him, closer to Kakashi.

"Naruto! Let him be. Sasuke, calm yourself,  _now_.", the team leader demanded with a piercing glare, knowing Naruto wasn't suited to handle Sasuke because he never experienced the pain of losing someone precious. Their pain was similar yet different at the same time. Besides, the blonde was sometimes very harsh as he had shown when he talked to Inari. This matter needed to be handled with tact, something Naruto doesn't possess.

Kakashi's intense gaze made Sasuke comply. Closing his eyes he exhaled  _deeply_ , deactivated his  ** _Sharingan_** , and opened his eyes again to see his sensei walking up to him, who took the book out of his hand, and continued "We are going to leave the road now. Behind that rock formation in front of us is a clearing where we will pitch camp."

All genin nodded and knew what to do. Hinata used her  ** _Byakugan_**  to scout the entire area and once she confirmed the destined terrain was safe Naruto together with Kakashi proceeded to lay out complex and deadly traps, turning the surrounding area into a kill zone, whereas Hinata and Sasuke prepared the tents and a campfire. Naruto showed so much talent in fūinjutsu that he was able to assist his sensei in setting up ANBU level seal based traps.

ANBU members are required to attain a decent level of skill in this difficult art and many candidates drop out simply because they can't grasp the complicated concepts of developing, applying, manipulating, or even neutralizing a seal on their own, staying jōnin for the rest of their shinobi career. Naruto on the other hand absorbed this knowledge from his sensei like a sponge.

He was nowhere near Kakashi's level though, who learned most of what he knew about fūinjutsu from Minato, but already close to that of an actual Konoha ANBU member. However, according to Hiruzen's plan, Jiraiya is going to teach Naruto so much more than Kakashi ever could.

* * *

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully and like every time when the team would spend the night out in the open, sitting around a campfire and enjoying Hinata's delicious cooking, Kakashi told his genin an exciting story about a famous ninja, much to the youth's delight, dispersing the bad mood from before. This time he narrated the story of  _Shakuton no Pakura (Pakura of the Scorch Release)_ , Sunagakure's heroine, capturing particularly Hinata's attention for one particular reason.

The academy basically just covers the exploits of the Hokage's, the  _Densetsu no Sannin_ , and a few selected enemies of them in regards to noteworthy shinobi, thus Tsunade Senju was technically the only famous kunoichi known to the girls at the academy, making them somewhat feel left out and the list of suitable role models short.

Once he finished the tale everyone except for Kakashi himself went inside their respective tents to rest. Naruto and Hinata slept soundly. However, Sasuke in turn restless, rolling around, sweating and panting. Unlike the nights before he wasn't dreaming about Hinata, no, he was having an all to familiar nightmare.

_Father!_

_Mother!_

_Why... did you..._

_To measure my capacity._

_I'm scared!_

_Don't kill me!_

_There is no value in killing the likes of you, my foolish brother. If you want to kill me, curse me, hate me and live a long and unsightly life! Run away, run away and cling to your pitiful life! And someday, when you have the same eyes as me... come before me!_

His eyes shot open at the sight of his brother's malicious  ** _Mangekyō Sharingan_**  boring into his soul in his mind's eye and his chest rose and fell rapidly, but he didn't scream. Sasuke stopped crying and sobbing a very long time ago while having this dream that haunted him, constantly reminding him of his goal. He focused on calming his rapid heartbeat with slow and deep breaths. The air inside his tent was so stuffy, almost unbearable, he had to go outside for some fresh air. Taking his sword and strapping it onto his back he left the tent.

The cool air, the sight of the clear sky filled with stars, and the tranquil of the night, occasionally disturbed by the sounds of some nocturnal animals or insects worked wonders to calm Sasuke, who sat on top of a large boulder on a grassy plain for about half an hour, a good distance away from the camp, observing the beginnings of a thunderstorm on the distant horizon, nothing unfamiliar during this season of the year in Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire).

_In order to become like me, to obtain the same eyes... you must kill your closest friend._

"My closest friend...", he muttered quietly and sighed. The only ones he would consider to be his  _friends_  are Naruto and Hinata, though, he believed he was actually a bit closer to Naruto, seeing him as a... brother of sorts, like the brother Itachi once used to be without that annoying habit of poking his forehead.

Suddenly, his eyes widened and he swiftly drew his tantō with his right hand, turned, and slashed diagonally at a figure behind him, who jumped backwards. Sasuke quickly stood up, slipping into a defensive kenjutsu stance. Two blood-red orbs stared into a single black one, tomoe spinning threateningly. The darkness of the night only added to the natural malice these eyes held.

"Your senses are as sharp as always. Mind if I keep you company?", he heard somebody resembling Kakashi say and frowned at this person.

"Hn... Don't move.", Sasuke responded, eyeing him suspiciously.

The boy used his  ** _Sharingan_**  to mentally overlap an image of his sensei with the man in front of him, comparing every single detail as best as he could in the darkness, additionally trying to spot any discrepancies with the environment and studied the flow of the person's chakra, it was regular. Finally convinced that this man wasn't disguised in a  ** _Henge_** , but having learned from his sensei not to rely too much on his dōjutsu he asked "When does a ninja strike?"

"A ninja waits until the time is right. When the enemy lowers his guard and his weapons lay forgotten in the stillness of the night. That is the time for a ninja to strike."

Correct code word and convincing act, no hesitation in the reply, matching Kakashi's voice perfectly. However, just to be sure, Sasuke had another question in store, something only a true member of Team Seven could know about him.

"What is my dream for the future?"

"No, you don't have a  _dream_ , but an  _ambition_. You want to resurrect your clan and kill a certain man.", Kakashi spoke, thinking 'Excellent, Sasuke, I'm glad you took my lessons to heart or else I would be extremely disappointed since I hate to waste my time.'

Only now the boy dropped his guard. Jumping onto the flat surface of the rock his sensei sat down and gestured him to do the same. Sheathing his blade Sasuke did so and both stared at the horizon for a while, neither saying a word, watching the thunderstorm, every now and then seeing a lightning bolt strike the ground as well as listened to the booming thunder such an electrical discharge causes.

Kakashi was the first to break the silence "Sasuke, I want to talk to you about your ambition... more precisely your quest for revenge."

"What about it, sensei? If you intend to convince me not to pursue  _him_  stop wasting your time and leave me  _alone_.", his pupil virtually snarled at him, clutching his pants tightly and clenching his teeth in fury, trying to keep his voice down due to his immense respect for Kakashi.

"Nah, won't do that, you are too stubborn, so it's doomed to fail anyway...", at this Sasuke stared at him honestly surprised, raising an eyebrow, apparently not having expected such an answer. He anticipated  _'Those who seek revenge will only end up hurting themselves even more'_  or something along these lines, bullshit like that.

"You see, if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't abandon revenge either, so how can I expect that from you...", Kakashi stopped and turned to face his stunned pupil, who listened intently.

"... Sasuke, I remember the only family I knew, my father, very well, despite being just five years old at that time. He was a great dad and I was a happy child, but you already know that he committed suicide after even the ninja he saved blamed him for the failure of the mission and left me alone. His death tore a huge hole in my heart. My grief and rage accumulated, causing me to push everyone away, let no one close and to live strictly according to the shinobi rules as to not fall into disgrace like my father, to redeem the surname Hatake, however, as much as I tried not to, I grew attached to my teammates and felt good in their presence, yet I never showed them my true feelings, only a façade of indifference, living in denial.

Obito's words helped me come to terms with my feelings, helped me realize that I care about them. Sadly though, I recognized my mistakes too late and Obito paid the price. Had I aided him from the start things might have turned out differently. When the boulders crushed him right behind me I became sad and furious again, except this time, I channeled that hatred into my will to protect Rin and fought the Iwa shinobi with everything I had and killed as many as possible in order to give Rin more time to escape until I passed out from exhaustion. Luckily, Minato-sensei arrived just in time to save the day, rescuing us.

The point I am trying to make is that it's normal to feel pain if your precious people are robbed of your life, it's only human to feel the rage, but instead of using it to hurt those close to you I say seize upon your anger, control it, harness it, use it as a tool to get stronger, let it not cloud your judgement and consume you, don't repeat my mistakes for only other people can ever fill that void in your heart, can ever make you genuinely smile, don't become trash like I once was...", he grabbed the gaping Sasuke by his shoulders, his face, at least the small visible part, stern and his tone serious.

"As for brother, there  _will_  be a time and place to take your revenge... but this moment is certainly not now,  _you aren't ready yet_. If you confront him now you will die, don't pursue him now and throw your life away...", this made Sasuke scowl at him "He was stronger than me and Yūgao combined when he was thirteen and I shudder at the thought of what kind of monstrous strength he has gained by now...", his student looked now outright mad, feeling his self-control slipping away and wanted to shout something, though, before he could, Kakashi cut him off " _Listen_ , I strongly believe that if anyone in this world can defeat him, it's you, not me, not Hinata, not even Naruto,  _only_ _you_."

His voice softened and he eye-smiled "Sasuke, you have been born with a natural talent far beyond my own and I'm more than willing to help you surpass me and I'm sure Yūgao, Naruto, and Hinata are as well. I'm going to teach you  _everything_  I know. You are not alone. We all  _care_  about you, so don't make us worry and think about what I said.", Kakashi finished, let go of his shoulders, and left Sasuke wordlessly to his own devices, giving his pupil a wave of his right hand with his back turned while walking away, hoping he got through that thick skull of Sasuke, whose mouth formed a thin line.

What followed was a deafening silence during which the raven-haired boy stood up and looked up at the sky with an unreadable expression plastered on his face, loosing track of time, contemplating Kakashi's words. Eventually, Itachi's words rang in his ears again.

_In order to become like me, to obtain the same eyes... you must kill your closest friend._

__to become like me _, to obtain the same eyes__ _

_to become like me_

_like me_

He balled his hands into fists, gritted his teeth, and yelled " **No!**  I won't become like  _you_ , I sure as hell won't become  _trash_! I have listened to you long enough, trying to copy you. Well, no more! It's time I finally begin to carry my life in my own hands. Cling to  _your_  pitiful life and run away,  _brother_ , because my nakama are going to make me stronger than you can imagine. The day will come when I start hunting you down, when I'm ready, until then, live in fear."

Sasuke saw a flash in the corner of his eye, activated his fully matured  ** _Sharingan_**  and turned his head towards the direction it originated from, just in time, to hear the thunder and see another lightning bolt, unable to predict its path 'So incredibly fast. I wish I could be as quick as lightning, then Itachi wouldn't be able to follow my movements with his  ** _Sharingan_**. That would make things way easier, wait...', he recalled a story Kakashi had told them. Namely the one of the Yondaime Raikage Ē, specifically the part about that man's signature technique, the  ** _Raiton no Yoroi ( ** _Lightning Release Armour_** )_**, which turned this ponderous mountain of a man into a worthy opponent against the Yondaime Hokage in terms of speed back in the days.

'...  _maybe_  I actually could, of course not like  _real_  lightning, but as close as someone can possibly get. If this guy can use his lightning affinity to make himself faster, so why shouldn't I be able to do the same? Sorry Naruto, but the title  _Fastest Man in the World_  is going to be mine. I will not live my life as your second. Once we return I will ask Kakashi-sensei for help.', he finished his train of thought and grinned widely at the prospect of obtaining an advantage over his brother. To think he was at first disappointed that fire wasn't his main affinity as it was to the majority of his clan, how childish.

According to his sensei, someone needs humongous chakra reserves to maintain this jutsu, rivaling that of a Bijū, one of those nine chakra creatures he had read about, and it was improbable that Sasuke would ever have access to such a supply, despite being comparatively blessed with large reserves granted by his lineage and intense stamina training. However, the boy wasn't interested in the protective layer, which consumed as well as wasted most of the chakra since it covered the whole body all the time, just the enhanced speed and reflexes, creating his own version of the technique, not an inferior, but a better one. He could release a large amount of lightning chakra in a short burst in every direction to electrocute incoming adversaries as a form of defense or simply use a lighting chakra infused sword to block attacks, so many possibilities.

While Sasuke was most eager to invent this jutsu quickly he was too much concerned about his health to actually try it on his own since he mastered only the basics of his lightning chakra nature and experimenting with one's nervous system is dangerous! After all, he didn't want to accidentally fry his brain or shock his heart. Nothing better to do, Sasuke went back to his tent to catch up on some sleep, all the while, a huge smile on his face.

* * *

The imposing wall surrounding Konoha came into view as Team Seven slowly approached the village's east gate in a line formation. Kakashi outside left, next to him Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke, in that order.

The girl was glad to finally be home again. She really missed her family, especially her father and Hanabi, who had welcomed her new attitude and seemingly acknowledged her now.

Sadly though, Neji on the other hand seemed angrier than he has ever been. Even if the cold expression on his face never betrayed it, Hinata knew just by looking into his eyes that he hated her from the bottom of his heart. She truly wished to one day have a similar relationship with Neji as she has with Naruto, because he was her cousin, a family member. Hinata doesn't distinguish between branch and main house, treating every Hyūga equally,  _never_  using the cursed seal.

Naruto, in contrast to Hinata, felt the exact opposite, staring in pure contempt at the wall of his  _prison_  and thought 'Home sweet hell.' To him, this wall didn't convey a sense of safety, no, more of being locked up. The boy didn't care much about Konoha anymore since he caught a glimpse of what the world outside had to offer. The time he spent in Nami no Kuni was great after he freed the people. They see him as a true hero.

The blonde tried to find a positive aspect though and indeed something came to his mind, making the warmth in his eyes return... ramen, not just any ramen, Ichiraku ramen, the food of the gods, rivaled only by Hinata's cooking. He put his hands behind the back of his head and chuckled.

"I'm so hungry I could eat a vegetable! I'm going to head right for Ichiraku's! Will you guys accompany me? I'm sure Ayame-neechan certainly wouldn't mind, right, Kakashi-sensei?", he inquired humorously, making Hinata giggle and a surprisingly cheerful Sasuke for once chuckle instead of grunt. His big sis had developed a crush on his sensei the first time they met shortly after Squad Seven formed and seeing her attempts at seducing him were funny to watch. Yea, nothing could possibly ruin this day if even the teme was in a good mood.

"I'm sorry to ruin your dinner plans, Naruto. But you must come with me to Hokage-sama, so don't run off, okay. Hinata and Sasuke are free to go once we step through the gate.", Kakashi stated seriously.

Naruto pouted childishly in response, crossing his arms in front of his chest, and grumbled something incoherently. How could he forget that? There was still one question he demanded an answer to... but seriously, couldn't that wait until  _after_  he ate his ramen. 'Kakashi-sensei is probably just too shy and wants to avoid Ayame-neechan, dattebayo.', he thought and nodded to himself.

* * *

Hiruzen sat behind his desk that was crammed with paper work. His hat and pipe laid on it as well. He was in a foul mood indeed and wore a grim expression on his face. Also, his last loyal student, Jiraiya, self-proclaimed super-pervert and author of the famous  _Icha Icha_  series, leaned against the wall to his right with his arms crossed, looking stern.

As soon as the old Kage had received Kakashi's mission report he immediately sent out a messenger toad, which Jiraiya left him in case of an emergency, to deliver his pupil a note, ordering him to abort whatever he was doing due to a matter of  _utmost importance_  and come back to Konoha as fast as he could. The Kyūbi is no issue to be taken lightly! When Jiraiya finally arrived, through one of the windows as usual, making the hidden ANBU jump at the sudden appearance of an unexpected intruder, he activated the privacy seals and ordered his bodyguards to leave the office.

The Hokage rubbed his temples and groaned, feeling a headache forming. Bad news just kept coming! First, a C-rank escort mission involving Team Seven turned A-rank, which Kakashi continued at the insistence of a  _genin_ , despite having only limited intel and commanding a rookie team. That was irresponsible and Kakashi must take responsibility for his decisions like every squad leader.

However, he's going let him off easy this time since his team not only succeeded, but additionally retrieved one of the seven legendary blades and the corpses of the two mist-nin might reveal some of Kiri's secrets. As punishment, Hiruzen will just demote Kakashi to tokubetsu jōnin so he would still be allowed to lead his team. If one of the genin under his care would have been killed Hiruzen would have  _personally_  ripped out his  _ **Sharingan**_ , confiscated his summoning contract, and thrown him out of the ninja ranks after ordering a Hyūga to destroy his chakra network.

Second, a new hidden village, Otogakure, emerged literally out of nowhere in Ta no Kuni (Land of Rice Fields), recently renamed into Oto no Kuni (Land of Sound), forcing him to dispatch more troops to the northern border, consequently thinning Konoha's lines of defense on other important locations. This will make the task of guarding the entire village during the upcoming Chūnin Selection Exams harder as well.

Lastly,  _Akatsuki_ , a group of  _S-rank_  missing-nin which Orochimaru once belonged to is on the move, recruiting members and collecting high bounties for an unknown purpose. Taking down a single S-rank level shinobi is a tough job, even for a platoon of seasoned ANBU, but a group working together poses a serious threat he couldn't ignore.

Because of that Itachi had infiltrated the mysterious organization, protecting the village from within this group, and requested in turn that he would protect Sasuke from Danzō. Only his two advisors, Homura and Koharu, Danzō, and he himself knew about this deal and the only other person he's going to let in on the secret will be his successor, not even Jiraiya.

"So... why did I have to drop everything and come back anyway? A lot of farmers and rangers are going to be mad at me for riding Bunta five hours straight, including the grumpy Boss Toad himself, if this isn't important. What do you need me for, sensei?", Jiraiya inquired. Honestly, he wasn't really complaining since this gave him an opportunity to do some research at the local hot springs and enjoy the beauty of nature his home had to offer. He really hoped to catch a glimpse of Orochimaru's ex apprentice again, Anko Mitarashi, like during his last short visit about eight months ago. That was truly a sight to behold!

"Naruto", Hiruzen replied, causing Jiraiya to close his eyes and think.

That name rang a bell. '... Oh of course, Minato's son.' Opening them again he turned his gaze onto Minato's picture on the opposite wall right next to that of his sensei, his prized student, whom Jiraiya believed to be the one he had been searching for, the  _Yogen no Ko (Child of the Prophecy)_. The blonde was a shinobi genius like no other and like a son to him. Jiraiya cursed himself for not being in Konoha on this fateful night to take his place as a sacrifice for the Shinigami.

During the second shinobi world war he thought to have found the destined child in the war-torn lands surrounding Amegakure, ruled by  _Hanzō of the Salamander_  till the present day as far as he knew. The boy's name was Nagato, who possessed the mystical  _ **Rinnegan**_ , the dōjutsu of  _Rikudō Sennin (Sage of the Six Paths)_ , thought to be nothing more than a fairy tale. Jiraiya concluded the redhead was either the sage reincarnated or a manifestation of his thoughts and feelings, therefore he decided to train him for three whole years in the shinobi arts along with his two companions, Yahiko and Konan, so the three orphans could fend for themselves.

However, at some point in time, he lost track of them and heard rumors of their death, such a shame. He grew quite fond of them. Nagato's view about peace even inspired him to write his first book, whose main character, years later, impressed Minato so much that he decided to name his son after him, which Kushina agreed to of course, and he sincerely wished Naruto would grow up to be just like the protagonist in this story, pointing out that the character resembles Jiraiya's very closely, making him Naruto's godfather... a job he wasn't suited for.

He was a bad role model, one of the worst, didn't know how and neither had the time nor the will to raise a child, because he had to chase after Orochimaru, maintain his spy network, and do his  _research_. Besides, his sensei was looking out for him. What could possibly go wrong if the  _Shinobi no Kami_  was watching over him? Sooner or later, according to Hiruzen's plan, he will help the boy control the Kyūbi's power and instruct him in fūinjutsu, making him hopefully able to revive Minato's signature technique, the  _ **Hiraishin no Jutsu**_ _ **(Flying Thunder God Technique)**_ , and follow in his father's footsteps.

"What about him? You told me he was faring well, being secretly the best student in his graduation class, and you planned to assign Kakashi as his sensei. Is he having trouble in love? Does he need my manly advice?", Jiraiya asked while smirking and pointed his left thumb at his chest at the last part, but was promptly cut off by Hiruzen.

"The Kyūbi... I fear the seal might have been damaged during his first mission outside.", he said darkly.

That comment caused Jiraiya to instantly drop his goofy nature and become deadly serious as if war was approaching, worried about Naruto's well-being as well as the fox breaking free. "What happened?"

"Take a look at this, Kakashi's report, read it for yourself.", the Hokage replied and held out the document.

Jiraiya walked up to him, took it, and quickly skimmed through while scratching his chin with his free hand. It reads like a war report and line by line the  _Toad Sage's_  eyebrows rose a bit further. 'C-rank... Hyūga... Uchiha... escort bridge builder... Nami no Kuni... spotting an ambush... Demon brothers... Gatō the shipping magnate... arguing... Zabuza Momochi...  ** _Hyōton (Ice Release)_**... Kyūbi's chakra _..._ Naruto transformed _..._ Massacre... Dark Justice?!'

He stared at the piece of paper in bewilderment, mulling its content over 'Kakashi, I must admit you trained your genin well. I'm really impressed by their level of skill. Nevertheless, it's a miracle everyone survived and recovered fully under such dire circumstances. Furthermore, Naruto was able to control that power to a certain degree without going berserk, most impressive indeed, proving strong willpower and giving me an excellent basis to work on. That will make things much easier. Yet, this  _Dark Justice attitude_  worries me greatly.'

Finished, Jiraiya nodded, laid the document on the desk, and spoke "I see, guess this throws your plan into disarray, sensei. What now?"

"I will tell him  _everything_.", Hiruzen replied bluntly.

...

"Sensei, is that really a wise move? He obviously needs to mature a lot more before he can handle that. The news of him being a jinchūriki alone will already have a big impact on him.", the sage voiced his reservation. He had a bad feeling about this.

Hiruzen folded his hands in front of chin and retorted "Now that I look back, I should have told him at least about the Kyūbi the moment he received his headband. I was reluctant to send Naruto on a mission outside so early in his career due to his  _issues_ , but I trusted Kakashi's judgement, who demanded a higher ranked mission in the first place. The boy made splendid progress. He  _slowly_  opened up to others, gained friends he holds dear as well as a social life, just like Kushina back in the days. Bit by bit, Naruto formed a bond with the village and grew as a person.

However, this mission messed him up. Kakashi should have knocked him out, but he decided not to. We can't change the past. The damage has been done and the only right thing to do now is to put the cards on the table, show him that he can trust us. Lying would only make it worse. I fear what might happen if he comes to hate Konoha and what I would be forced to do should he ever show signs of going against the village.", he sighed and added 'Please Naruto, you are like a son to me, don't become like Orochimaru. Choose the right path. I know the  _Hi no Ishi (Will of Fire)_  is within you.' in an afterthought.

In case the boy might go against the village he will order Jiraiya to apply a customized version of the Hyūga clan's cursed seal onto Naruto, reacting only to Jiraiya's, Kakashi's, Tenzō's, and his own chakra signature.

Time flew by. Both debated for a while and exchanged arguments until someone knocked on the door. Hiruzen deactivated the privacy seals and ordered the person to enter. Opening the door Kakashi stepped into the room first, acknowledging his superiors with a nod, followed by his blond pupil, who offered the Hokage a smile, trying to disperse the somewhat tense atmosphere in the room, which Hiruzen returned, and spared Jiraiya a brief curious glance.

Kakashi closed the door and Hiruzen activated the seals again, causing the walls to flash blue for a split second, impossible to see with the untrained eye. This aroused Naruto's curiosity, because the boy never noticed hidden seals in the room before, and the duo moved into the middle of the room.

As they walked Jiraiya took in Naruto's appearance for the first time and nostalgia overcame him 'He looks like a young Minato, except for his slightly rounder eyes and face and of course the whisker marks... Hehe nice strategy,  _the suit_. A lot of women like that, makes you look successful and self-confident, but very few can pull it off as good as you do.'

"I have been expecting you two. Naruto, the man standing to my right is Jiraiya..."

"Wow!  _Jiraiya of the Sannin_ , the  _Toad Sage_?!", the boy yelled out in astonishment, interrupting his Jiji. He could somehow tell this guy was  _really_  strong, like Jiji, way stronger than Kakashi and him when he entered the office and had the hunch that what he felt was just the tip of the iceberg.

"Aww sensei, I wanted to introduce myself with style.", the sage whined at the missed opportunity to show off his new dance.

"Not now, Jiraiya. First things first. Naruto, I know it sounds strange, but I ask you to show us your bare stomach and pull out your chakra, use a ram seal to draw it out easier.", Hiruzen demanded.

The boy agreed. That was indeed an odd request, nevertheless he proceeded to strip to his waist, trusting his Jiji, and handed his garments to Kakashi.

'Oh my god?! Mothers, lock up your daughters, Naruto is topless. Hehe The ladies must be all over you, lucky boy.', Jiraiya tried to suppress a perverted smile as well as a snicker. The blonde's body was unexpectedly the epitome of athletic build, despite his young age, good genes he guessed.

Naruto didn't like the  _weird_  vibe that radiated from the tall man at the sight of his bare chest and abs. He seemed a little too  _excited_ , though he chose not to address this, instead, the boy closed his eyes shut and clasped his hands together, forming a ram seal, trying to pull a good portion of his chakra, causing a blue hue to surround his figure. Additionally, black lines appeared seemingly out of nowhere on his stomach, the Hakke no Fūin Shiki (Eight Trigrams Seal).

'What incredibly powerful chakra!', Kakashi eyed his sensei's son analytically and Hiruzen as well as Jiraiya shared the same thought. Sure, he felt Naruto expel such an amount a few times before, but what never failed to amaze him wasn't the quantity, about twelve times his own, but the  _quality_.

Chakra is composed of two parts, yin and yang, one's spiritual and physical energies. Both can be increased through different methods, thus make the generated chakra more potent, subsequently maximize the power of a jutsu. Naruto trains his body along with his mind extensively and it pays.

Said boy opened his eyes and felt the urge to look down at his belly. Doing so he frowned. "What the hell is this? It looks like two storage seals of the same kind form a very strange big one. Why the opening between them if it's supposed to store something?"

The three adults stared dumbfounded at the blonde. 'He can tell the purpose of the seal with just a single glance?!', they thought in unison.

Hiruzen was the first to regain his bearings and asked incredulously "Cough Naruto, how can you tell its function?"

"Isn't it obvious?", the boy replied in a matter of fact tone.

"... No, it's not. Please let Jiraiya take a look at it.", the Hokage turned to the sage and nodded, whereupon Jiraiya approached the boy, knelt down, and analyzed the seal for the first time, marveling at one of the most complex seals ever created.

'Hm Just like the kid had said. Two of Uzu's four symbols seals shape the eight trigrams seal and leave an opening. It's set up so a tiny amount of the Kyūbi's chakra slips out from the space between the two seals and slowly merges with Naruto's own. The gap is much wider than I expected though, but nothing to worry about since it's within an acceptable range.', he turned his head, smiled, gave Hiruzen a thumbs up, straightened himself, and went to the Hokage's side.

Naruto frowned, highly displeased at being left in the dark and growled "Can someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?!"

"Watch your language, Naruto!", Kakashi scolded, eyeing his student disapprovingly and resisting the urge to hit him in the head. After all, they were in the presence of the Hokage, who didn't seem to mind this small outburst at all. The boy along with Jiraiya, Tsunade, and to an extend Danzō, his old friend, are the only ones who could get away with cursing in his presence or not addressing him properly.

Hiruzen raised a hand "It's alright, Kakashi. Naruto, you can put your clothes back on..."

The blonde took his clothes from Kakashi and complied. Afterwards, Hiruzen continued in a deadly serious tone "What I'm going to tell you now, Naruto, will  _not_  leave this room, do you understand?", Hiruzen looked Naruto straight in the eyes and the boy nodded.

"Alright, I'm not going to lie to you, although this may be difficult for you to hear, it's the truth. The seal on your stomach is called the  _Hakke no Fūin Shiki_. You are right about its purpose. The seal indeed does contain something, the creature that attacked the village twelve years ago, the  _Kyūbi no Yōko_ , you are its jinchūriki..."

Naruto was too stunned to move. Shock and confusion written all over his face 'W-What?!' Realization dawned on him. It all made sense now. He was born on the same day the beast attacked twelve years ago, called names like  _demon spawn_ , had whisker marks, and the villagers wouldn't let him go near the festival to celebrate the Yondaime Hokage's victory. The answer to why they despised him so much was right in front of his nose all along! How could he have been so blind? The boy looked at his shaking hands with wide eyes.

Seeing this, Hiruzen hurriedly tried to reassure the boy. His voice softened, changing into his grandfatherly tone "Naruto, understand, you are its jinchūriki, not the Bijū itself, you are Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto has a solid understanding of fūinjutsu. That seal on his stomach is a  _storage_  seal and he tapped into the fox's chakra once, which appears to be infused with its will and he fought with the beast for dominance, so there was simply no way he could be the fox. Furthermore, Naruto even heard it speak, the most obvious evidence that there was another being inside of him.

Also, at first, he didn't feel a big difference, only the physical changes, but the longer he used that vile hate-filled chakra the more difficult it became to keep a clear mind. The beast gained  _slowly but surely_  the upper hand in their struggle, no matter how much he tried to completely eradicate its will. Had he stayed in that transformed state for an hour or two he would have lost control, attacking everyone in sight, friend and foe, that he was sure of.

"I know  _exactly_  who I am, Jiji. It's like sealing something into a scroll. We are two separate entities... B-But how, why?"

The other occupants in the room were glad he took the news with such maturity. That went way easier than they thought, but the biggest shock was about to come. The Hokage reached down, opened a drawer, and took out two pictures as well as a wooden box. "Come, Naruto, I have something to show you..."

The blonde obeyed, walked up to the desk, and his Jiji handed him the first image. The picture showed two stunningly beautiful women. One had long waist-length crimson hair with strands that framed both sides of her face, fair skin and violet eyes. She wore a high-collared sleeveless white blouse under a long green dress, a dark blue bracelet on her left wrist, and lavender shinobi sandals. The redhead stood next to a fair-skinned women with long black hair, whose strands framed her face, and black eyes. She wore a brown blouse, a dark purple skirt, and blue shinobi sandals. Both smiled and the former had her right arm slung over the latter's shoulder, holding her close, and made a victory sign.

"... The woman in the brown blouse is Mikoto Uchiha, Sasuke's mother, and next to her stands your mother, Kushina Uzumaki."

Naruto was speechless, gazing at the photo intently. His eyes watered slightly and he smiled in joy. This image was now his treasure. 'M-My mother... I finally know her name, how she looked like. Wait...' He raised his head and scowled.

"Jiji, if my mom knew Sasuke's mother... Mikoto, apparently so well, then why didn't she take care of me after that monster killed my mom?!", the blonde snapped angrily, placing the image carefully down on the table, making Jiraiya a bit nervous since he was the boy's godfather. Naruto received an answer to one question only to have more in the end. He was pissed!

Hiruzen exhaled  _deeply_ , this is going to take some time. "Naruto, in order for you to  _truly_  understand everything you must know of your origins and  _do not_  interrupt me, just listen. I will answer all questions you might have once I'm finished. Your mother wasn't born in Konoha, but in Uzushiogakure, located in the nowadays deserted Uzu no Kuni  _(Land of Whirlpools)_ , an island between Mizu no Kuni (Land of Water) and Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire), into the Uzumaki  _clan_..."

At this Naruto's eyes became as wide as saucers. He was a member of a clan? Are there others? Why has he never heard of his clan before? More questions!

"The Uzumaki shared red hair as a common trait and were known for their incredible longevity and life force, highly respected, but more importantly, feared for their skill in the art of fūinjutsu. They were distant blood relatives to the Senju and both clans had very strong ties with each other, resulting in an alliance between Konoha and Uzushiogakure as well as the clans themselves. The Uzumaki clan's crest became even part of our uniforms as a sign of goodwill and friendship.

Furthermore, Mito Uzumaki, daughter of the clan head, married the Shodaime Hokage, Hashirama Senju, to further strengthen that bond. When the Shodaime fought against Madara Uchiha he eventually gained the upper hand and took control of his  _pet_ , the Kyūbi. Mito then proceeded to seal it into her body, becoming its first jinchūriki..."

That was unexpected and caused Naruto to gape in bewilderment. His clan is awesome! However, why is his Jiji talking about his clan as if they are gone? He was standing right in front of him, the living proof that the clan still lives on!

"Your mother was born with special chakra and since Mito was on her deathbed Kushina had been chosen to become the second jinchūriki...", the blonde clenched his teeth and growled in fury, nevertheless he suppressed his rage as best as he could and kept his mouth shut because of one reason. He longed for the truth, so he would listen and ask questions later. Causing a scene now would be counterproductive.

"Therefore she was brought to Konoha, but didn't know why. Back then, only I and the three elders knew the truth. The Uzumaki clan was steadily growing in strength and numbers. Some time later Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri formed an alliance against their common enemy and launched a joint attack on Uzu no Kuni to exterminate the Uzumaki out of fear for their power and they succeeded.

The handful of remnants fled. However, as far as I know, all of them have been persecuted and killed, making Kushina the sole survivor. At first, she struggled to adapt, but as time went by Kushina grew to be an extraordinary kunoichi, gained few yet fiercely loyal friends like Mikoto, and found love as well...", he stopped and showed Naruto the second picture, depicting Minato, clad in a standard shinobi uniform, and Kushina as a happy couple, madly in love, and pointed at the former.

"She married the future Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze,  _your father_...", Hiruzen paused again to let that piece of information sink in.

This was almost too much to handle for the boy. 'T-The Yondaime Hokage is my father?! They worship him, yet treat me, his son, like dirt for something out of my control?!' Before Naruto could ponder any further the Hokage resumed, putting the image on the table.

"Eventually, Kushina became pregnant and as it was the case with Mito her pregnancy lasted  _ten_  months due to the Bijū inside of her. The seal began to gradually weaken and we knew it was going to be at its weakest during the moment of your birth, hence safety measures had to be taken on october tenth almost thirteen years ago. It was resolved that Kushina would give birth in the outskirts with Minato by her side to supervise the seal, guarded by ANBU and my wife. From this point onwards I can only tell you what happened from my point of view. The story you know from the history books is only the half-truth.

Somehow, the Kyūbi appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the village and wreaked havoc, thus I as Minato's predecessor had to take command of our forces and coordinate the defense. Luckily, I managed to chase it out of the village where Minato arrived and used his  ** _Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique)_**  to transport the fox far away in an instant before it could unleash a devastating attack upon the village...", Jiraiya grinned at that, proud of his student's accomplishment.

"I and two of my best men ran as fast as we could to aid him in battle. Still, we arrived too late and a barrier, which your mother, who miraculously was still alive, had created around the area to pin the Kyūbi down, prevented us from approaching. Minato already began the sealing ritual, the  ** _Shiki Fūjin (Reaper Death Seal)_** , offering his soul to a Shinigami as the price for its aid, condemning his soul to be trapped inside its stomach for all eternity...", Jiraiya and Kakashi looked visibly shaken.

"Many tried, but a Bijū cannot be killed, at least not permanently. They reform after a few years, depending on the number of tails. That's why he had to resort to such a drastic measure or it might have attacked Konoha again and done major damage to Hi no Kuni, so instead of letting Kushina drag it back into her seal and die with it he sealed it inside of you, his son, while he, along with your mother, shielded you from the fox's mighty talons.

I was unable to hear their last words to you, though, as the barrier collapsed I arrived just in time to hear Minato stammer out his dying wish. He wanted you to be seen as a hero. As I was holding you in my arms I decided to give you your mother's last name, because Minato made countless enemies and in order to protect you from those of your mother I didn't grant you clan status, letting everybody believe the actual Uzumaki clan died out with her. Additionally, I decreed a law to never mention your jinchūriki status to the younger generation, so you could experience a somewhat normal childhood, and left you in the care of the orphanage.

Understand, I had simply no time to raise a child since being the Hokage is a full-time job, Kakashi was thirteen, a child himself, so I denied his request to adopt you. Being a jōnin at that age does not by a long shot qualify someone to raise a child. Jiraiya, your godfather...", Naruto scowled at the sage maliciously, who averted his gaze downwards "... had to fulfil his duties, which involve long-term missions outside the village and the elders demanded you stay in the village, thus he couldn't adopt you either, and sadly though I couldn't let Mikoto take care of you as well, who didn't know you were Kushina's son.

I probably would have if it not for the villager's accusing the Uchiha clan to have a hand in the Kyūbi's rampage. Had I given you into her care the citizens would have revolted out of fear the Uchiha might use you as their weapon.", Hiruzen finished his tiresome tale with a sigh, his throat felt a bit sore. The three adults looked at Naruto expectantly, who stood still like a statue, fixing the ground, his bangs shadowed his eyes, absorbed in thought.

That was  _a lot_  of information to take in. The boy always wanted to know where he came from. Apparently, he was the last of his kind, the last Uzumaki. A noble and respected clan. He felt closer to Sasuke than ever before. On his shoulders rests the glory of a now almost extinct and proud clan. Naruto has a new goal in life 'I will make my ancestors proud and someday revive my clan! The world will marvel to see the  _Uzumaki clan_  rise from the ashes!'

In addition, his father was the Yondaime Hokage, but there was something that bothered him about that 'Why didn't my father let mother die with the beast? Jiji said it takes years before such a beast returns, more than enough time to prepare and train! Instead of raising me he chose to put a demon in my gut, put such a burden on my shoulders, and turn me into a weapon, a jinchūriki?!'

Naruto tightened his fists, digging his nails into his palm, drawing some blood in the process that dripped down onto the floor 'How could he do this to me, make this decision for me?! A baby is innocent, a newborn child bears no sin!  **I won't forgive you**!  **You are not my father! I hope you suffer greatly wherever you are!** '

While he still respected the Yondaime Hokage as a ninja and his noble sacrifice he didn't have the heart to forgive him as his son. Naruto would bear this grudge for the rest of his life. Seeing him trembling Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder, giving his student a reassuring squeeze, and was also extremely glad that the blonde didn't swat his hand away, successfully calming him, albeit just a little bit.

Kakashi released his hold. No one disturbed the boy and about half a minute in utter silence passed. Naruto had some questions and he better likes the answers! The boy's head snapped up, his glacial orbs met Hiruzen's regretful ones.

"You obviously have some questions, go ahead, I will answer them to the best of my abilities."

"I have only three. First, I  _am_  a member of the Uzumaki  _clan_  and we have an alliance with the Senju. Does Tsunade Senju know the whole truth about my heritage?", the boy inquired.

Hiruzen noticed how much he emphasized that he belongs to the Uzumaki  _clan_ , pride clearly evident in his voice. Regrettably he will have to burst his bubble later on and first just answered the question with a short "Yes"

If possible, his eyes grew even colder. True, the boy didn't learn much in Iruka's lessons as he had admitted to the chūnin instructor, but he at least knew that woman was Hashirama's granddaughter and thanks to Jiji's story the blonde now also knew that she's even closer related to him than a  _normal_  Senju would be since she's the descendant of a full-blooded Senju  _and_  Uzumaki. She will pay dearly for forgetting about him and not honoring the alliance... with her life!

The same applies to his  _godfather_  for neglecting his sacred duty.  _However_ , Naruto wasn't suicidal, hence smart enough to keep his plans to himself. He couldn't risk a direct confrontation till he mastered Rokushiki completely and even then he wasn't sure of the outcome.

Naruto pointed his finger at his Jiji and spoke in a low, cold and accusing tone "Second, I recall you said that Iwa, Kiri, and Kumo ganged up on Uzu no Kuni. Konoha and Uzushiogakure were  _allies_ , so why didn't you aid them in battle during your reign?"

Hiruzen sighed "Naruto, the situation back then was very complicated, diplomatic relations were strained. All signs pointed to a new third war, skirmishes with smaller nations broke out all the time. Aside from Uzushiogakure we had no major allies and our relationship with Suna was still extremely tense at that time due to the events of the second war still fresh in all our memories. The three superpowers invaded Uzu no Kuni without warning. I had to weigh up two options, aid Uzushiogakure and make an enemy out of them, probably of Suna as well, or...", he closed both eyes, a tear escaped his left one that ran down his cheek "abandon them."

Naruto  _never_  expected his Jiji, the  _Shinobi no Kami_ , to have no honor! " _Coward"_ , he growled bluntly in a contempt filled tone. The instant this insult left his mouth, faster than his body could react, a fist  _buried_  itself into his stomach with tremendous force, causing sprays of blood to escape his gaping mouth! Excruciating pain cursed through his entire body, nothing he ever experienced before came even close to this level of agony!

**"Hokage-sama?!"** , Kakashi yelled out in worry. The Hokage's movements were blurry to him! He was speechless and felt somewhat helpless as well as angry. What could he possibly do against the Hokage, the leader of his village? Intercepting the blow or even attacking Hiruzen was not an option if he valued his life.

"Sensei?!", Jiraiya was equally surprised. Not by the extreme speed because he was able to see everything unfold, but the brutality. Nevertheless, he expected Hiruzen to punish the boy anyway since Naruto had it coming to him for adopting the wrong tone. After all, his sensei was the Hokage and couldn't allow such blatant disrespect to go unpunished. You can't walk into a Kage's office and call him a coward in front of his own forces. Hiruzen had to save his face. However, the sage believed his sensei went a little overboard, that was overkill.

The boy staggered backwards, his torso bent forward while holding his stomach, shivering slightly, and resisted the urge to vomit. He could barely stand, whimpered, and felt like he was losing consciousness 'W-What?!' In front of him knelt the old man, his right hand still forming a fist. 'H-How?!' Naruto ultimately collapsed and landed on his butt, supporting himself with his hands, and spit out a glob of blood that stained his suit 'I-Impossible! N-No, I-I w-won't be defeated b-by a single p-punch! I refuse to b-believe that I'm s-so weak! My goal to be the b-best can't be this f-far away!' Using his willpower he struggled to get shakily back on his feet and wiped the trail of blood off his chin.

While the blonde was doing this Hiruzen calmly moved behind his desk and sat down again, thinking 'I'm sorry, Naruto-kun.' and spoke harshly " **Guard your tongue!**  You know absolutely nothing about the horrors of war, Naruto. Be glad you never experienced it like me, the misery and pain... It was my duty as Hokage to decide what was best for  _Konoha_ , to protect the people, the children, from harm. I did what was necessary, I sacrificed few to save many and I have to live with that. If you want to become Hokage you will have to make similar decisions as well."

'Wrong!  _I_  have to live with that.  _My_  clan...  _my_  village.', Naruto mused after he regained his composure. He wanted justice! In one fluid motion he turned his head slightly to the left and spit out the last remnants of blood in his mouth mixed with saliva without taking his eyes off the Hokage and faced his  _Jiji_  fully again, this  _trash_. The boy felt betrayed by the man he thought he could trust the most. This old man was now just the Hokage to him.

"Well, if betraying your nakama is part of a Hokage's job then I will crush the idea of becoming one,  _Hokage-sama_...", Naruto declared, his cold eyes reflecting pure hatred and betrayal.

Jiraiya and Kakashi couldn't believe their ears and looked at him wide-eyed. Hiruzen didn't show it, wearing a mask of indifference, suppressing his emotions, though, internally his heart tore to shreds at the boy's tone and the look in his eyes, the very same gaze Orochimaru had sent him when he announced Minato as his successor.

Naruto wasn't finished just yet "Furthermore, I, the last Uzumaki, thus the clan head, demand that  _all_  Konoha shinobi remove  _my_  clan crest from their flak jackets for not coming to our aid,  _you_  broke the alliance."

'This boy has guts to  _demand_  something like that, even if it's  _somewhat_  justified. I have to give him that.', Jiraiya pondered.

Hiruzen sighed, the boy will hate him even more, and stated in an all-business tone "For one thing the alliance was between Konohagakure and Uzushiogakure.  _You_  are part of Konoha, a shinobi under  _my_  command, not Uzu, which doesn't exist anymore, hence you don't officially represent a party of that agreement and don't have the right to  _demand_  anything from me.

For another thing the Uzumaki clan is  _extinct_. I don't acknowledge you as a member of the Uzumaki  _clan_. As far as I, the Hokage, am concerned you are an Uzumaki by name only, despite your lineage, and I won't grant you clan status, because Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri won't sit idly by and watch the Uzumaki clan being reborn in Konoha. They went so far as to put all their differences aside, team up, and destroy it, thus there is a high possibility they might do that again."

Naruto's self-control was slipping away, his pulse quickened and a vein popped on his forehead. He began to breathe heavier, the stress of all those revelations was getting to him  **"How dar..."**  He wanted to shout  _'How dare you deny me my birthright you wretched old geezer!'_  from the top of his lungs, but a metal-plated gloved hand covered his mouth before he could and the blonde fiercely glared up, meeting Kakashi's gaze, who decided to intervene this time.

He held Naruto's mouth tightly shut to save his pupil from another punishment, thinking 'Your mouth, that you obviously inherited from Kushina, is going to get you killed one day!'

"Now, now,  _calm down_ , Naruto. I know you are infuriated and it might be difficult for you to accept, but Hokage-sama has spoken. His word is law and you know that, so drop it.", Kakashi said in a soft and caring voice and his words seemed to show effect. Naruto fixed the ground in defeat and remained still, yet, was still furious on the inside. He felt  _humiliated_! Like a  _pathetic weakling_! His  _pride_  hurt! Every breath that old man takes is an insult to his honor!

Once Kakashi was sure that Naruto had regained some common sense he let go and Hiruzen addressed the boy again, his words carried the wisdom of his lifetime as a ninja "Naruto, you don't seem to grasp what it means to be a shinobi. We place the village's well-being above all else.  _Self sacrifice_ , a nameless shinobi who protects peace from within the shadows, that is a true shinobi, that are true heroes. Don't you see that the safety of village matters more than your own selfish desires? I know you are hurt, but I told you from the beginning that I would tell you the truth, not that you will like it... Now, what is your third question?"

Naruto's snarled, eyes flashing between blue and red, not seen by the others. However, that brief chakra spike didn't go unnoticed by the keen senses of all the experienced ninja in the room.

'Selfish...  **Selfish?!**  I have spent my whole life keeping this beast inside of me at bay, protecting the world from its wrath, have endured how the village treats me and you call  _me_  selfish! Besides, how can it be selfish to claim what is  _rightfully_  mine? Uzumaki blood is running through my veins, I'm their son, dammit! I shall honestly renounce my birthright simply because you are  _afraid_?', the blonde scoffed internally.

"Cough Naruto, I'm waiting...", the Hokage reminded the boy.

Hiruzen's voice snapped him out of his inner monologue and he replied without looking up "What is in that box?"

"Two scrolls, your inheritance, or at least what's left of it. Twelve million ryō from Minato's and Kushina's shared account sealed in the first and thirty-one special kunai that Minato used for the technique he became famous for, the  ** _Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique)_** , in the other. Jiraiya...", he averted his gaze from Naruto to his student and nodded.

Jiraiya smirked 'It's probably going to be a major pain in the ass to teach him, but he has a strong will as well as plenty of guts and that's all you need. That is more worth than any amount of jutsu.'

The  _Toad Sage_  assumed his pose and began his introduction dance "Boy, you can call yourself lucky. I, the gallant Jiraiya, the epitome of manliness whose smile makes women swoon, known far and wide as the  _Gama Sennin_  am offering  _you_ , Naruto Uzumaki, apprenticeship! I will instruct you in the art of fūinjutsu so you can revive the  ** _Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique)_**  and help you control your inner demon."

"I refuse.", Naruto dismissed him nonchalantly.

...

Jiraiya froze in his tracks, gaping like a fish, a sweatdrop forming on his brow.

"Naruto?! Do you realize what opportunity you are throwing out of the window! He belongs to the  _Densetsu no Sannin_  and is  _willing_  to teach you.", Kakashi tried to reason.

The boy turned to face his sensei and responded "First and foremost, I don't want to have anything to do with this man, least call him my sensei. Also, I neither want to use the fox's chakra nor do I need it to be strong. The power it grants is just fake for it's not my own. Besides, it killed my mother, I want to eradicate its existence, I  _hate_  it with every fibre of my being and, in addition, I do have my  _pride_! I want to become known as  _Naruto Uzumaki_ , not  _The Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Yōko_. Not to mention that while I'm using this vile chakra it's damaging my body and clouding my mind. In conclusion, the Yondaime earned himself the title  _Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō (Konoha's Yellow Flash)_  with this teleportation jutsu and I don't desire to walk in his footsteps."

"But not using that chakra is a huge waste! Besides, the  ** _Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique)_**  is Minato's legacy, you are his son!", Jiraiya threw in and Naruto glowered at him, rage burning inside him due to being associated with the Yondaime Hokage.

"Look, to clarify, I don't care one bit for that half of my blood that came from my worthless  _father_. I don't owe him anything! The only one I consider to be my real father is Kakashi-sensei!"

That declaration stunned everyone in the room, especially Naruto's  _real_  father  **'What?!'**

"I don't care what you do with those kunai, throw them away for all I care, and I don't want the money either, because I don't know how much of it belonged to the Yondaime, the account was shared, give it to the orphanage. The only items I'm interested in are the pictures of my mom.", Naruto finished.

He then moved to the desk, took the first picture showing Mikoto and Kushina and slid it carefully into his pouch. Afterwards, he took the second in hand and did something that shocked the adults to the core. The boy ripped the picture in half, separating the happy couple, put the part depicting Minato on the desk with an audible  _thud_  and slid the other one into his pouch.

'Minato-sensei...'

'Minato-kun...'

'Minato...'

Naruto stood close to the Hokage's left. Facing him he said in a voice devoid of any emotion "Is there anything else you need me for, Hokage-sama, or am I free to go. This room smells like rotten people. I need some fresh air."

Hiruzen hates himself for what he's about to do "You are dismissed."

The blonde turned around, ready to leave, but his senses warned him to dodge! The attack was swift, a precise strike to a pressure point on his neck at point-blank range, no time to react properly. His eyes widened and the world slowly turned black. Naruto first collapsed onto his knees and then fell forward face first onto the ground, unconscious.

Kakashi was perplexed "Hokage-sama? What..."

"Easy Kakashi, he is in no danger...", Hiruzen sighed in regret and ordered "Jiraiya, do it." The sage nodded sadly and slowly walked up to Naruto, unsealing ink and a brush. Needless to say this did little to ease the jōnin's concern for his student.

"Hokage-sama, may I ask, do what?", he inquired.

"You may, Jiraiya is going to apply a customized version of the Hyūga clan's cursed seal onto the boy...", Kakashi looked at him in sheer horror. Seeing this the Hokage added "This seal won't be able to kill him. It's main purpose is to subdue him. Jiraiya will place it on the back of his neck. Unlike the original, instead of destroying his brain cells, it will bombard his spinal cord with extreme sensations of pain without an actual physical cause, causing him to reflexively collapse before his brain even begins to process the information..."

Hiruzen lit his pipe, took a puff, and continued "Only you, myself, Jiraiya, and Tenzō will be able to activate the seal within a twenty meter radius. Therefore you need to stay and once we are finished you will carry him home."

Kakashi now knew  _what_  they were doing, however, he also needed to find out "Why?"

"You have seen and heard him yourself. We have gained deep insight into his psyche. He's highly unstable and after today's events his loyalty is  _questionable_  at best. He actually reminds me a little bit of Orochimaru and Fugaku  _(Sasuke's dad)_. I'm not going to repeat my mistakes. There is something dark about Naruto and I'm not referring to the fox... to be honest, it  _scares_  me. I saw it in his eyes. He would kill me if given the chance and everyone else he believes has wronged him. The boy is unpredictable, thus I will put that leash on him.

My sensei's Hashirama-sama and Tobirama-sama entrusted their will to me. It pains my heart, but I must protect Konoha, the people, shinobi, and especially children from anyone who tries to harm the village, no matter what, whether they are my friends, siblings, or even my own children. I have no other choice. Oh and Jiraiya...", he faced his student, who stopped the procedure and looked up, his face an emotionless mask.

"Close the Hakke no Fūin Shiki (Eight Trigrams Seal) completely. If he doesn't want to use that chakra then there is no need for it to stay open anyway and we won't have to worry about the Kyūbi breaking out easily anymore when Naruto gets enraged."

The Hokage deactivated the privacy seals and yelled "ANBU!"

His bodyguards entered and lined up, not caring about the downed boy or what Jiraiya and Kakashi were doing, awaiting their next assignment. "Go and fetch Tenzō from the HQ. I want him in my office, now.", the Hokage spoke and they wordlessly disappeared.

* * *

**"Namikaze!"**

_Crash_

A solid wooden desk split in two under the enormous force of the Yondaime Raikage's fist after having read a report that a messenger lizard had delivered into his office, sending the few papers on it flying into the air and his assistant, Mabui, rolled her eyes, already gotten used to the Raikage's violent antics. That was the third desk today. However, she noticed he yelled  _Namikaze_. That was strange. This man, his arch nemesis, died a long time ago. She walked up to a paper on the ground, bent down, took it, and straightened herself.

The document had a photo attached to it with a paperclip, showing a blond boy with blue eyes and admittedly cute whisker marks, wearing a customized black suit, surrounded by...  _groupies_. She smiled. That boy seemed to place value on formal attire, just like herself. Mabui also took a look at the actual report itself and her eyebrows rose, Naruto  _Uzumaki_ , Sasuke  _Uchiha_ , Hinata  _Hyūga_ , and  _Sharingan no Kakashi_. Thanks to her photographic memory she absorbed the content almost instantly and was astonished.

"Raikage-sama, I admit this boy bears a striking resemblance to the deceased Yondaime Hokage, but that might be a coincidence and his last name is strangely Uzumaki.", the assistant observed.

Having calmed himself  _a little_  after his outburst Ē replied "Mabui, I will  **never**  forget that man's eyes and when I look at this boy I can see  **him**  staring right back at me!  **This boy is his son!**  I have no doubt about that! Also, the spies didn't know it better. That transformation is no kekkei genkai, but the initial jinchūriki form. He must be the  **The Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Yōko**! There is no other explanation. Yet, it's a mystery to me how he was able to block their weapons without a chakra cloak. I guess it's an ability the fox grants like Bee's ink. And his surname,  _Uzumaki_ , there have been rumors that the Yondaime Hokage was in a relationship with Kushina Uzumaki, Konoha's  _Akai Chishio no Habanero (Red Hot-Blooded Habanero)_.  **That old cunning monkey!**  In the end, you cannot trust anyone, especially not a  _tree hugger_. Hiruzen is constantly preaching about peace, military disarmament, and unity, yet, at the same time, he was hiding and raising a  **superweapon**  all along!"

Mabui gave her Kage a few seconds to cool off and spoke again "Raikage-sama, what are we going to do about this? Not just the boy, but this entire team is going to become a serious threat in the future if we do nothing about them. They have the potential to surpass the  _Densetsu no Sannin_."

Ē closed his eyes and mulled over the available options. An idea popped up in his mind. The Chūnin Selection Exams are going to be held in Konoha in about three weeks from now on, a golden opportunity to gather additional intel or even get rid of them permanently. He opened his eyes, grinned, and looked at his assistant.

"Mabui, send word to Bee. I want him to turn up his genin's training.", the Raikage ordered.

"What for, Raikage-sama?"

The Raikage chuckled "Kumo is going to participate in Konoha's coming Chūnin Exams and show these tree huggers what cloud shinobi are made of."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Ok, I can see this question coming. Why didn't Sasuke ask Kakashi to simply lift his forehead protector and show his Sharingan? Simple, it would have given an enemy the opportunity to give hidden allies a sign, prepare a jutsu, reach for a weapon or reveal an unknown dangerous dōjutsu, unlikely, but possible in the Naruto world. Besides, we have seen what Zetsu is capable of, hence it's better to be on the safe side.
> 
> Can we have some sort of reference for Naruto's level? In doriki?
> 
> Thanks to Kurama boosting his progress Naruto accomplished more than six years worth of rigorous taijutsu training in just two years and seven months. If the academy had not occupied so much of Naruto's time he could have covered a decade. He can use all six moves by now, more or less efficiently, thus his doriki must be close to 500. According to Lucci, someone can call oneself a superhuman if he or she is able to use all six basic forms and Spandam stated that people with a doriki of 500 are considered as such. For those who have a bad memory like me here is the official CP9 ranking list.
> 
> Common armed Marine soldier (reference): 10  
> Rob Lucci: 4000  
> Kaku: 2200  
> Jabra: 2180  
> Blueno: 820  
> Kumadori: 810  
> Fukuro: 800  
> Kalifa: 630  
> Naruto: 470  
> Spandam: 9
> 
> Over time I will update this list. As you can see, Naruto still has a very long way to go. Though, I think the CP9 would welcome him in their ranks now. He's definitely much stronger than Nero and can perform the six basic moves, granted, he still struggles a bit with Geppō.


	9. The Curse of Hatred

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, Bee won't rap all the time, only occasionally if I can come up with something.

**Chapter 9 - The Curse of Hatred**

_Thud_

Naruto had slammed the half of the photo showing his  _sperm donor_ , Minato Namikaze, the  _hero_  who chose to turn his son, his own flesh and blood, into a weapon for the village instead of raising him like a true father was supposed to do, on the Sandaime Hokage's desk, paying the shocked gasps that followed no mind. Glancing one last time at the image of his smiling mother on the remaining half the blonde stored it away before he turned to face the one person he hated even more than the Yondaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The boy struggled to not let his body betray the storm of violent emotions that was raging inside of him solely out of self-preservation, resisting the urge to dash forward and rip the old man's throat out, possible only thanks to the mental and physical discipline he gained through years of harsh training. Naruto felt powerless, and it infuriated him to no end!

Behind the wooden desk sat the spineless dishonorable coward who decided to stay on the sidelines, despite the alliance between Konohagakure and Uzushiogakure, and allowed his clan to be wiped out, his brothers and sisters, all slaughtered without mercy just because of the sheer limitless potential they possessed, which terrified their enemies. However, when his ancestor, Mito Uzumaki, was dying of old age, his clan had offered one of their own, his mother, the only person fit to be the next vessel of the accursed demon fox that threatened to obliterate Konoha if set free. The Uzumaki came to Konoha's aid, honoring the alliance, yet, when Uzushiogakure was under siege Hiruzen didn't come!

His homeland, Uzu no Kuni, got destroyed, his family decimated. Ruins, stories, and Naruto himself are all that's left of the Uzumaki. Everything they were survives now only in him. Knowing this the old geezer has the gall to tell him he must forsake his identity, condemning him to live the rest of his life in the shade of the tree called Konohagakure no Sato in order to protect the same village that betrayed his own. What does his clan, no, what does  _he_  owe Konoha?! He was  _Naruto Uzumaki_ , proud heir to the Uzumaki clan. That's something  _nobody_  can ever take away from him. The blood in his veins proves it!

Naruto  _needed_  to leave and vent out his frustration on something at being unable to do anything against the man responsible for his clan's demise, hence asked for permission to do that, but couldn't bite back a snide remark "Is there anything else you need me for, Hokage-sama, or am I free to go. This room smells like rotten people. I need some fresh air."

"You are dismissed.", Hiruzen replied curtly.

Not wanting to spend any more time together with the Hokage and his  _godfather_  in the same room than necessary he rapidly turned around, but his battle instinct suddenly warned him to evade an incoming strike from behind! However, what followed happened so incredibly fast, too quick for him to react properly.

A sharp pain in the back of his neck was all Naruto's advanced senses registered before he felt his body going numb, his vision was slowly fading. The genin noticed that he was falling and on instinct he wanted to shoot his arms forward in order to break his fall, though they didn't listen to his commands. Naruto watched helplessly as the ground kept coming closer and closer. 'No, No, No, I'm losing consciousness!', he thought in panic and all the boy could hear in the deafening silence that enveloped him was his rapidly increasing heartbeat.

* * *

_Splash_

Rippling water entered Naruto's view, replacing the dark wooden floor in the Hokage's office, followed by the reflection of his face on the surface once it had calmed down. He was on his hands and knees, the lower part of his pants drenched. The blonde could only stare at his image in confusion and disbelief. 'W-What's going on?! Where am I?!'

_Drip... Drip_

The sudden noise snapped the puzzled boy out of his stupor and he took in his surroundings. Naruto found himself in a sewer-like hallway, droplets of water were occasionally dripping down from leaking pipes on the ceiling and there was no source of light, yet, for some reason, it was dimly lit.

'Am I dead? Is this the afterlife? If so, it certainly sucks, very underwhelming.', Naruto mused while straightening himself up. He wasn't religious, but open-minded to the idea of an afterlife, especially after having read stories about how the Nidaime Hokage, Tobirama Senju, could summon the dead with a jutsu he invented called  _ **Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei (Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation)**_  by obtaining the DNA of deceased people and sacrificing war prisoners as host bodies for the souls and ordered the immortal zombies to perform suicidal attacks during the  _First Shinobi World War_ , turning the tide of many battles in Konoha's favour after his brother, the Shodai Hokage, was killed in combat.

The blonde frowned deeply and crossed his arms, thinking 'How despicable, but to be expected from a Hokage I guess, after all the end justifies any means for them, whether it entails to turn your own newborn child into a jinchūriki, leave your loyal comrades to die, or violate the natural balance of life and death for the benefit of the village. To think I dreamed of becoming one, it makes me want to puke. As long as such scum and people like Gatō rule the world only more scum is born! They  _deserve_  to die, it can't go on like this! Someone needs to eliminate the  _vermin_  from the world! Well, no need to rack my brain about that if I'm dead anyway...'

Naruto growled menacingly, he really hoped this was just a weird dream caused by a head injury or it would only add to the humiliation he had previously suffered at Hiruzen's hands, biting the dust without having put up a decent fight to avenge his family and claim his birthright hurt the warrior within him! In a fit of anger the enraged boy punched the wall to his right with tremendous force.

_BAM_

Only to regret having done that immediately afterwards. He winced in pain and clutched his hurting left fist 'OW! Damn, that hurt! One thing is certain, wherever I am, this place is sturdily built...' That strike had enough power to easily shatter a log into a million pieces, yet there wasn't even a single crack on the wall! Luckily though the pain subsided quickly and his knuckles weren't bruised.

Naruto exhaled deeply and relaxed, pondering how to proceed 'Hm Staying here and staring into space won't do any good. Let's see if I can find something interesting around here.' Going with his gut, the blonde decided to trace the leaking conduits, reasoning they had to eventually lead somewhere and walked down the hallway for about a minute, creating ripples in the water on the ground with each step.

Turning around a corner he felt something familiar, causing him to stop in his tracks as well as his eyes to widen in concern 'H-How is that possible?! I can feel that vile chakra again, however, this time it doesn't radiate from my belly, instead...' he swallow hard '... the source is right in front of me.' Putting his guard up Naruto continued his march untill he arrived at the entrance of a very large room, the sound of someone, no,  _something_  breathing put him on the edge. He walked inside and approached a giant cage with a paper on it that had the kanji for  _Seal_  written on it. Those signs were a dead giveaway for the blonde as to what was lurking in the darkness behind the bars.

Without any warning the huge grinning visage of the legendary  _Kyūbi no Yōko_  emerged from the shadows. The fox's blood-red slitted eyes bored into his soul. A sight which froze his blood! Furthermore, a monstrous wall of killing intent hit the unprepared genin head on, it was maddening!

At that moment, for the very first time in his life Naruto was truly scared! In his mind's eye he saw the beast killing him in the most horrifying ways he could imagine, being squashed like a bug underneath its paw, burned by a stream of fire coming from its mouth, gutted with a lazy flick of one sharp talon, having all of his bones crushed at once by a single swipe from one of its nine tails, torn apart limb from limb, and worst of all,  _being eaten alive_.

The intimidated boy whimpered and shook like a frightened child. Being so close to the cage he also sensed the full extend of the Kyūbi's malicious power with his additional sense, it was enormous, even Hiruzen, the strongest ninja he encountered so far, was a mice compared to the demon. Naruto felt as if he was slowly losing his mind! That vast thirst for blood was just too much and he wanted to curl into a fetal position, but his body didn't respond 'W-Why? Why c-c-can't I m-move?! S-Such m-murderous intent! Someone, p-please help me!'

Kurama was really enjoying himself and chuckled at seeing the fear in his host's eyes, making a good first impression was very important to let these pesky humans know their place in the world.  **'Seems like I didn't lose my touch after all those years in here and considering I'm only at fifty percent of my original power, damn** ** _Yondaime_** **, damn** ** _Shinigami_** **.'** , he thought and cursed the two responsible for his predicament. The mighty fox hoped he still held the title of strongest Bijū with just his Yang chakra left. No way in hell would he let  _Gyūki_ , aka the  _Hachibi (Eight-Tails)_ , take over that spot!

Noticing Kushina's offspring was still rooted to the spot Kurama revealed himself in all his glory and addressed him.  **"Speak up, human! My patience is running thin. State your business or leave."**

The Kyūbi tapped the ground impatiently a few times with one claw for emphasis, but still only silence. He smirked  **"Aw Don't tell me little Naru-** ** _chan_** **has lost his tongue from that tiny bit of killing intent. Pathetic! After you successfully forced my chakra back into the seal with your willpower I expected so much more."**

It was actually a large amount of killing intent he released, not that the fox would reveal this though. Besides, he knew Naruto's name from watching seven years of the boy's memories till now out of boredom and...  _nostalgia_ , oh how much he missed the feeling of warm sunrays and wind on his body. The instant the blonde had tapped into his chakra Kurama gained access to them, thus he was well aware of Naruto's childhood and bad treatment. How ironic, humans call him a demon, yet they are the cruelest species on the planet, even his father was unable to change their dark hearts and if he couldn't then nobody can.

The Bijū's taunt hit a nerve. 'I-It's mocking me?! H-How dare it, no... the better question is how can  _I_  display such  _weakness_  in front of the creature that killed my mother?! She and Mito-sama were the fox's jailors before me! I'm making a total mockery of my Uzumaki ancestry!', Naruto found the will to fight against the primal instinct that froze him from the anger and disgust he felt towards himself. He stopped trembling, gritted his teeth, and balled his hands into fists with enough force to turn his knuckles white. Never before did the blonde feel so ashamed than in this moment. Fear is weakness! It evokes doubt and one essential lesson he learned during his Rokushiki training, particularly when practicing  ** _Tekkai (Iron Mass)_** , was that a true warrior must always believe in himself. That is true strength!

Having regained his composure Naruto locked eyes with Kurama, glacial blue met fiery red. "I ended up here by accident, believe me, I don't enjoy looking at your ugly grimace and would rather be somewhere else. But since I'm here I have the chance to tell you this face to face. We have unfinished business. You are going to pay the ultimate price for taking my mother's life, beast!  **I'm going to make you suffer beyond your wildest imagination, dattebayo!** ", he declared in pure contempt. The blonde didn't have to wait long for a response. It came in form of a the loudest blood curdling roar he had ever heard! However, Naruto stood his ground, unfazed, and kept staring disdainfully at the fox.

**"Insolent flesh-bag! Who do you think you are talking to?! I am the mighty _Kyūbi no Kitsune_ ,  **an unstoppable force of nature,** even the other Bijū bow before me, I am hatred incarnate! You are  _nothing_  and should be grateful to be my host! Without me you don't have the power to do anything ** **, miserable runt****! You can't threaten me, foolish mortal, I  **cannot be killed and** will live forever!"**, Kurama announced and bared his teeth, glaring right back at Naruto. A few tense second passed in utter silence and neither had moved an inch. The boy's eyes began to really unnerve him, they were awfully similar to Madara's accursed  ** _Sharingan_**  and he wanted to gouge them out. Despite knowing his claws couldn't reach the human he just couldn't resist the urge.

_ZAP_

**'I-Impossible!'** , the Kyūbi was shocked. He had no idea how this could happen. His talons hit a transparent barrier between the bars and he pushed against it with all his might, but the invisible wall didn't budge.  **'Where did this barrier come from? It won't let my chakra go through! Is it part of the seal and protecting the boy?'** , the fox's musings were cut short by Naruto laughter.

"Mighty Kyūbi my ass. You are not as powerful as you believe yourself to be or else you wouldn't have been locked up three times in total in the first place. My sensei taught me no one is truly invincible, everyone has their weak points, even supposed immortals, and yours are obviously fūinjutsu and  _Kekkai Ninjutsu (Barrier Ninja Techniques)_. Too bad for you that those fields are my family's speciality. I already have a  _wonderful_  idea what I'm going to do with you.  _Yes_ , justice will be served. Let me give you a hint so you can look forward to it...", the blonde paused for dramatic effect and grinned evilly before continuing "Your immortality will become a curse and you are going to wish you were dead for good. You will be completely helpless. Try to imagine how it would feel to live on forever, unable to do anything with all the power you possess. An eternity where there is nothing but you."

Kurama was absolutely stunned! His eyes widened in sheer terror as he complied and tried to imagine what the blonde had said, being trapped in an endless void of darkness with no means of escape, slowly going insane in the course of the millenia, it shocked him to the core. Moreover, judging by the look of madness on his face the boy wouldn't rest untill he finds a way to pull that off.  **'W-What is he?!'**

Naruto chuckled darkly because the tables were now turned and he spoke in an amused tone "What's wrong,  _furball_? Are you afraid? I guess demons and humans have something in common after all, your kind feels fear just like we do."

**"Ignorant human! I'm a _Bijū_ , not a demon!"**, the fox retorted.

Naruto scoffed in response " _Force of nature_ ,  _hatred incarnate_ ,  _demon_ ,  _Kyūbi_ ,  _Bijū_ , whatever you call yourself, I couldn't care less. To me you are nothing more than a chakra battery with a consciousness that did its worst mistake about thirteen years ago when you murdered my mom for which you are going to  **pay**! There is nothing left to say between us, next time we meet, you are going to move into your new  _home_ , take my word for it."

With that being said the blonde turned around, ignoring the Kyūbi hastily offering him to strike a deal with it, and calmly walked towards the entrance, back into the hallway in order to mediate and think of a strategy to avenge his family as well as restore the Uzumaki clan's former glory since Naruto realized he had to be extremely cautious from now on. His enemies were on a whole different level! The beating he received in the office made this painfully obvious, one slip up or acting rash and he's done for. Also, who knows what they are doing to him right now? He would eventually wake up in the real world again... hopefully.

* * *

Kakashi sighed tiredly as he stopped reading a red book titled  _Icha Icha Violence_ , the much-anticipated and yet unreleased sequel to  _Icha Icha Paradise_ , signed and given to him by Jiraiya himself about half an hour ago. It was a true masterpiece of literature and definitely deserved all its hype, but he just couldn't enjoy pursuing his hobby as much as he usually would.

The recently made tokubetsu jōnin was leaning against the wall of Naruto's apartment next to the door and opposite the window where his headstrong pupil slept soundly in his bed, waiting patiently for the blonde to wake up from his slumber ever since he brought him home once the Hokage had dismissed him. Looking up from the novel Kakashi glanced sadly at the snoring and drooling boy on the blanket.

'He looks so peaceful now.', he thought in relief, because once the Hakke no Fūin Shiki (Eight Trigrams Seal) was closed Jiraiya began to draw the new special seal onto the boy and Kakashi had to restrain Naruto, who unexpectedly started to shake like a leaf as if he was having a terrible nightmare, giving him a scare. 'Did it really have to come to that? Am I at fault, am I the one to blame...', an image of Obito flashed before his mind's eye ' _yet again_. I was the one who asked for a higher ranked mission. Had I just kept my mouth shut Naruto wouldn't be dealing with this right now... or it might just have delayed the inevitable. Oh Naruto, you were acting like a spoiled brat trying to get his way. Just what is going on inside your head?'

Only a few moments later his student slowly began to stir awake. Naruto shifted and moaned softly as he stretched his body. Noticing this Kakashi closed his new book and put it into his pouch. The blonde was immediately aware of another person's presence nearby due to his practical extra sense, which additionally told him it was his sensei, who appeared to be distraught. As time went by Naruto had discovered that every living being has a unique signature, similar to a fingerprint, and he memorized how his precious people felt like.

Pushing his torso up with his elbows the perplexed boy raised a quizzical eyebrow and inquired "K-Kakashi-sensei? What happened to me, and how long was I out?", before he lifted himself up further to sit on the edge of his bed, facing Kakashi fully.

"Not too long, Naruto. But first things first. How are you feeling? You were shivering in your sleep."

The boy rubbed the back of his neck and proceeded to crack it audibly "I have better access to my chakra than before, which is great, but other than that, I feel perfectly fine, really. Please sensei, tell me what's going on. All I remember is a sharp pain in my neck after I turned around to leave the office, then...  _nothing_."

Kakashi hesitated for a second, fearing the boy's reaction, but answered the question truthfully in the end "I was the one who carried you home. Hokage-sama knocked you out with a swift chop to the neck. Afterwards he ordered Jiraiya-sama to brand you with a modified version of the Hyūga clan's cursed seal on the back of your neck..."

The blonde's eyes widened in justified dread, taken aback. When Hinata started to open up more to her team she shared knowledge about the Hyūga clan with him and Sasuke unknown to the public, no clan secrets, of course, merely harmless information every Hyūga gets  _drilled_  into from an early age, by force if necessary. Humiliation and corporal punishment was quite usual behind the walls of their compound since the clan doesn't tolerate disobedience in any way, shape, or form, and the demand for respect was extremely high.

The girl narrated on the verge of tears about her violent upbringing, shocking both of them, but Sasuke much more than him, who previously believed his own clan was strict and pressured him too much when he was young. The raven-haired boy could relate to her because Sasuke also sought his father's acknowledgement, though, just like Hinata, he was unable to step out of his more talented sibling's shadow. However, his father never once raised a hand against the young Sasuke to punish him for not fulfilling his expectations unlike Hiashi. Nevertheless, after all she has been through, Hinata still loves her family with all her heart.

Furthermore, she told them about the clan's practice of branding all branch members with a cursed seal to protect the secrets of the  _ **Byakugan**_ , that would get sealed away upon death, when the next heir or heiress of the main house turns three years old, enabling all main branch Hyūga to exercise  _absolute control_  over them with nothing more than a single hand seal, inflicting unbearable pain or even death at merely a whim, enslaving their own family. And now the same was done to him! 'That old bastard turned me into a  _slave_?! He can dispose of me the moment I'm no longer useful or try to turn against him! Shit, I'm cornered!'

Seeing the shock in his pupil's eyes Kakashi immediately tried to reassure the blonde "Naruto!  _Don't worry_ , I know what you must be thinking. The seal is only based on that of the Hyūga's, it cannot kill, just subdue, and only a handful of people can activate it."

'Yea, that's what he  _told_  you, sensei. I bet it has a fail-safe.', Naruto mused as he clutched his pants and bit his bottom lip. He knew better than to underestimate the  _Shinobi no Kami_  and  _Jiraiya of the Sannin_. Ninja with  _decades_  of experience ahead of him.

"How many people can activate it?", the blonde asked barely above a whisper, looking down and letting his bangs shadow his eyes. Also touching the spot where Hiruzen had punched him with his left hand.

Witnessing his sensei's son in sorrow Kakashi tried to soothe the boy and perhaps do some damage control "I'm not allowed to tell, but you can believe me it's only a handful... Naruto, Hokage-sama didn't do this to you because he hates you nor does he want to see you suffer or hurt you. If he intended to do so you would have found yourself in an ANBU holding cell, covered from head to toe in chakra suppression seals.", he paused and walked up to the window. The sound of his footsteps caught Naruto's attention.

He gestured the boy to join him, who complied, albeit reluctantly, and they observed the people walking on the road for a while before Kakashi resumed his speech "You are part of our village, Hokage-sama  _cares_  about you just like for everybody else in Konoha. He views us all as  _family_. The village isn't just an organisation having a Kage rule over it as a king and the shinobi serving as his private army, no. It's a place of order and harmony, connecting clans and protecting the children, allowing them to grow old in peace behind the safety of these walls. A Hokage is the pillar that supports the village and every single Konoha ninja serves as the foundation. The unwavering will to defend all that, no matter what, this is the  _Will of Fire_ , passed down from the previous generation to us, giving us Konoha ninja the strength to endure, this is our duty as  _shinobi_... I know you must feel hurt, but filling your heart with grief and sulking is the wrong way to cope with it, I'm speaking from experience. Besides, I'm convinced that Minato-sensei entrusted you with this burden because he  _believed_  in you. You were the only one he could trust to protect the village with that kind of immense power and not be corrupted by it."

...

Kakashi turned his head to eye Naruto, who stood completely still, his expression unreadable. He reached out to put a hand on the boy's shoulder in a comforting gesture, however, he stopped when the blonde began to snicker, which soon grew in volume till he burst into a fit of laughter, throwing his head back. " _Wow_ , and here I thought Iruka-sensei was boring speaker!"

" **Naruto!** What's so funny?! Have you been listening at all?!", Kakashi yelled in anger.

Naruto snapped right back at him, glowering "Yes! I heard every single word and you know what,  **I don't buy it**! I know for certain that shinobi existed long before even the idea of a ninja village was formed. The shinobi of old were  ** _warriors_**  who fought for the  _pride_ _and_   _honor_  of their clan, not  _babysitter_  for a bunch of ungrateful civilians, that's the job of a daimyō and his samurai forces.

Protecting the village is our duty you say? Yea, sure, assassinating people in influential political positions in foreign lands for money, no matter whether they are good or bad, sometimes even butchering their entire innocent families as well is definitely the right way to do that. The only things that matter for the leader of a ninja village are money, resources, land, military power, and influence. That's the  _miserable_  world we live in! Why did no village help  _Nami no Kuni_ , ignoring an entire country in need? Simple, because it wasn't profitable, Gatō was a very rich man with lots of connections and a  _generous_  business partner, probably bribing them, that's why. Moreover, they constantly argue about who gets the biggest piece of the cake and of course every single one in their  _greed_  wants all of it! We shinobi of today are merely used as replaceable pawns in a giant fucked up game and fed with such  _propaganda_  to keep up a high moral! I'm actually very surprised that a man of your intellect could believe such  _rubbish_. Lastly,  _grief_ , no, you are wrong sensei, I have filled my heart...  _with hate_. And although I really appreciate your efforts to cheer me up,  **never, ever say _that_  person's name around me again!**"

...

Kakashi was at a loss for words! He was gaping underneath his mask, his lone eye wide. There was absolutely nothing he could say to prove Naruto wrong or change his opinion. What pained him the most was the obvious hatred the blonde bore for his father. Closing his visible eye he sighed 'Sensei, if you could see him now would you have done the same?', reopened it and unlocked the window.

Climbing onto the windowsill, he turned his head and met Naruto's cold gaze. "If that's the way you think, Naruto, then I just ask of you don't direct your hatred at whomever you can lay hands on or you will turn into a horrible person, I have seen it change fine men and women into monsters so often in my life. Furthermore, remember, your tenant and parentage  _remains_  a secret, Hokage-sama's  _orders_. Team Seven has three days off, use that time to relax a little, it will do you good, because the Chūnin Selection Exams are just around the corner, meaning training is going to be more intense from now on. Oh, before I forget, the mission has been officially registered as A-rank, thus you will receive the appropriate payment.", Kakashi said and jumped out of the window onto a neighboring roof.

"This isn't the time to take a  _vacation_ , but to get some  _work_  done.", Naruto grumbled. As he was now, he doesn't stand a chance against his sworn enemies, there are still so many fighters out there stronger than him, he was  _weak_  and at a major disadvantage. Moreover, the Chūnin Exams present a perfect opportunity to prove his Uzumaki heritage by competing against  _the best_  among his peers, that he was  _worthy_  to carry on the name considering he was technically just a half-breed. 'I swear I will become the greatest warrior who has ever lived!', he thought determined.

Going into the kitchen he lifted the refrigerator as if it was as light as feather, putting it aside to reveal a palm-sized spiral-shaped seal on the ground with five small circles around it. Naruto then bit his left thumb and smeared his blood across it before weaving a series of hand seals, finishing the sequence by grabbing his right wrist. Soon, dark-blue flames appeared on the fingertips of his right hand, each one with a kanji for a number between zero and nine and Naruto placed them into the little circles, making the seal glow, and withdrew his hand.

_Poof_

A large scroll materialized above the seal, which Naruto caught and unrolled it on the table. There were still a few parts within the Rokushiki scroll that he didn't bother to read yet because they required a certain degree of mastery. During the time the boy had spent in his mindscape he decided to destroy the scroll. While its hiding place was relatively safe Jiraiya might be able to the find a way to break the seal. Now he dad to salvage any useful information left.

Naruto first memorized the complex mechanics of the  ** _Rokuōgan (Six King Pistol)_**  and turned his attention to a segment about some crazy hair techniques as well as  _bōjutsu (Staff Techniques)_. How convenient, he knew Hiruzen was specialized in bōjutsu from the history lessons, this knowledge will surely prove useful against him. A tall man with a huge mane of pink hair, who reminded him of a kabuki actor, performed the stances and Naruto was particularly fascinated by the staff he wielded, it was a monk's staff. Was he a monk in a former life? Maybe, who knows.

The pictures in the next part made Naruto grin like an idiot and  _drool_. His brain shut down for moment. They showed the sexiest woman he had ever seen! She had shoulder length blond hair, long legs, and a figure he was sure most women would kill for! Furthermore, the blue-eyed woman wore a long-sleeved short black dress over a fishnet shirt and stockings along with black gloves, glasses, and high-heels. After a while Naruto wiped the drool away and coughed into his fist, an intense blush on his face. Luckily Sakura didn't see him like that or she would have sent him flying. He wasn't a pervert...  _honest_!

Only now he was looking at the  _actual content_  and dismissed it. Using a spiked whip was just not his style, however he could imagine Hinata with one... n-not in a perverted way! The following passage was intriguing, a kenjutsu style called  ** _Yontōryū (Four Sword Style)_** , shown by a man with a truly odd-shaped nose. Again, a blade wasn't suited for him, much less two, though he might be able to alter it and use it in conjunction with kunai instead of swords.

Naruto yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes. Glancing out of the window he could see the setting sun. The last time he studied so hard was when he was learning anatomy. 'Just one part left...', he thought sleepily and felt a headache forming. "Hm sounds interesting.", he muttered and let the unfamiliar word roll off his tongue "Haki"

* * *

**Timeskip: 2 Weeks**

* * *

The wide paved main street leading to the south gate and outside the second strongest ninja village, Kumogakure no Sato, was filled with way more pedestrians than usual, however, they didn't attend to their daily business, no, they had all gathered to see and root for the three chosen genin who would represent their entire village on the international stage in Konoha's coming Chūnin Selection Exams, the students of  _Kumo's Defender_  himself. The crowd cheered and enthusiastic children shouted words of encouragement.

_Wahoo! Send the tree huggers crying home to their mommy's!_

_Yea, show them who's boss!_

_Kick their butts!_

"So awesome, I feel like a celebrity! I could get used to that.", Karui commented happily as her squad followed down the road, running her right hand through her long messy red hair. The kunoichi was dark-skinned and had amber eyes. She wore a long sleeveless dark-green dress, yellow earrings, a white bandanna with a forehead protector attached to it as well as a wakizashi  _(longer than a tantō, but shorter than a katana)_  on her back.

In contrast to the redhead, her only male teammate walking next to her, Omoi, didn't seem as thrilled as she was. He appeared to be lost in thought, sucking on a lollipop. Like Karui, he was dark-skinned and had a wakizashi strapped on his back. The boy had short spiky white hair and dark eyes. His outfit consisted of a grey hooded shirt, black pants, hand and shin guards under red bandages, and a black forehead protector.

He sighed "Oh Kami, I can't bear the pressure, do you hear that, all their hopes rest on our shoulders. We might leave the village in glory now, but what if we fail miserably and return in shame. Our ninja career will be over. Sensei is going to disown us, Raikage-sama will disbanded our team for staining the good reputation of Kumo, and the masses will scorn us. We will be outcasts..."

A vein popped on Karui's forehead. She had heard enough! In battle, both worked well together and always watched the other's back, but otherwise, the duo was constantly at each other's throat. The fierce kunoichi was  _very_  short-tempered and Omoi's crazy ramblings were slowly driving her insane! Why can't he just keep them to himself?!

She swiftly captured him in a headlock, dragging him along with her "Would you shut up already! You know Bee-sensei would never do that and Raikage-sama is hard but fair, as long as we give our best there is nothing to worry about. Besides, sensei made us go through hell the last two weeks, the other genin won't stand a chance against us, so stop spouting such nonsense. You are always thinking things over too much."

"Cut it out, both of you! Your immature behavior is not becoming of a Kumo shinobi,  _not cool_. Focus on the mission and the tasks ahead.", Samui chided the two quarrellers, looking over her shoulder to eye them disapprovingly with her piercing sky-blue eyes. She was the most reserved and quietest member of the team, only speaking up when necessary.

The stoic kunoichi was fair-skinned and well endowed for a girl her age, which she wasn't in the least bit ashamed to show off, wearing a grey short-sleeved dress held closed by a white sash that revealed her cleavage over mesh armour, a short skirt, and red hand guards. She had shoulder length blond hair and prefered to strap her blade of choice, a tantō, horizontally on her lower back.

The redheaded kunoichi groaned in annoyance and rolled eyes, releasing her teammate, whereupon he massaged his neck "Do you have to be so serious all time, Samui. I mean, come on, it will take us days to reach Konoha, just enjoy the moment for once."

"We can enjoy ourselves in our free time, right now we are on duty.", Samui responded in a monotonous voice and the group continued their walk in silence.

In no time at all the heavily fortified gate came into view and the genin team passed a line of masked STORM shinobi, Kumo's equivalent to Konoha's ANBU, whose members stopped the clingy crowd from advancing further. Already expecting them were Ē and their sensei Kirābī, aka  _Killer Bee_ , brothers in all but blood, known throughout the elemental continent as the  _Saikyō Taggu (Strongest Tag-Team)_  and feared for their signature move,  ** _Double Lariat_** , as well as Darui, the Raikage's  _second right hand_  and one of the most capable jōnin under his command.

All three disciples approached them and bowed before their Kage. "Squad Zero, reporting for duty, Raikage-sama.", Samui spoke calmly.

"At ease.", Ē ordered them first and they complied. He was never a fan of formalisms. "Mabui already briefed you about the mission. The man standing next to me is Darui, one of my most trusted jōnin..." Said ninja greeted the genin with a lazy wave, followed by a simple " _Yo_ ", and the Raikage continued "He will be your escort as well as team leader since for one thing the Hokage made it clear that he wouldn't grant Bee entry into Konoha..."

_SNAP_

Omoi had bitten through the stick of his lollipop and spit out the rest, scowling like his two female comrades, even the normally cold Samui. Konoha scum! An affront towards Bee is an insult to Kumo as a whole and every one of its citizens! Their sensei is a walking legend, seen as the village's hero, who enjoyed just as much respect, if not more, than the Raikage himself. To think nearly everyone once used to shun him for being a jinchūriki, however, that never discouraged him. He endured all of that for his brother's sake and prevailed, now being one of the village's most beloved inhabitants and astonishingly harbours no ill-will towards it after all he went through. What amazing inner strength!

"... and for another thing I won't allow him to leave except for special training, he's Kumo's guardian. Now, despite it not being the primary objective, I expect at least one of you to reach the final round! Is there anything you want to add, Bee?", Ē finished and looked expectantly at his brother.

Kirābī uncrossed his arms "Just this, my little bees, beware of the blond lad, me and  _Mr. Eight_  have a bad feeling about him, so don't take any unnecessary risks, remember your training and last but not least, no matter how far you advance in the exams, I will always be proud of you, show these fools what you've got, yeah!", he said while going through several poses.

Samui allowed a ghost of a smile to appear on her face and Omoi as well as Karui cried anime tears 'Bee-sensei is the best!'

"Enough sentimentality! If there's nothing more to say then get a move on!", the Raikage commanded.

Taking the hint Darui took the lead and addressed the genin "Roger that, you heard the boss. Follow me, kids."

The trio did as they were told and when the group was almost outside the village Kirābī suddenly yelled "Stop, Darui, yo!", and walked up to the slightly confused jōnin, extending his fist "Keep them safe for me, bro."

Returning the gesture and bumping fists with him Darui replied seriously "You can count on me, Bee."

* * *

The squad leaders of the three rookie teams, a raven-haired woman of unparalleled beauty with unique ruby-red eyes and two men, one with black hair, smoking a cigar, the second with his forehead protector tilted over his left eye, stepped forward and lined up in front of their Kage. They were in a meeting hall within the Hokage Tower along with a group of other teachers, including those working at the academy.

The taller man spoke up first "I, Asuma Sarutobi, jōnin-sensei of Squad Ten, nominate Chōji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara, and Ino Yamanaka for the Chūnin Selection Exams, old man...", the inappropriate title earned him a harsh glare, forcing him to quickly corrected himself "Um, I mean Hokage-sama." and he thought ' _Geez_ , dad is really grumpy as of late.'

Now it was the kunoichi's turn "I, Kurenai Yūhi, jōnin-sensei of Squad Eight, nominate Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and  _Sakura Haruno_  for the Chūnin Selection Exams, Hokage-sama.", she announced with pride in her voice, making sure to emphasize the name of her star pupil.

Once she was finished everyone's eyes rested on the other man "I, Kakashi Hatake, tokujō-sensei of Squad Seven, nominate Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Hinata Hyūga for the Chūnin Selection Exams, Hokage-sama."

Immediately afterwards the crowd started to whisper among themselves. The Hyūga heiress and Uchiha heir were obvious choices since the villagers as well as the international quests would want to see the future leaders of Konoha's most prominent clans fight in the traditional final round, but suggesting Naruto was totally unexpected. Rumors have spread saying the boy was very dangerous, mentally unstable, and he would corrupt the minds of young girls. In addition, this was the very first time all rookies have been recommended at once.

" **Silence!** I will have order in this room!", Hiruzen Sarutobi said with authority and the commotion died down. He saw Iruka raising his hand and asked rather annoyed "What is it, Iruka?"

"Hokage-sama, may I have the word?", the scarred chūnin requested, upon which the Hokage nodded. "Are you three doing this just to look good? The lives of your students are on the line! All of them were once my students at the academy and except for Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki none of the others are fit to participate, especially Ino, Sakura, and Hinata. They..."

Kurenai's icy glare as well as her aura of feminine fury stopped Iruka, who began to sweat bullets "What are trying to suggest, Umino-san? Specifically naming only the kunoichi as the supposed  _weakest_  genin, huh.", she questioned with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot on the ground.

"W-What? N-No, I didn't intend to make it sound that way, Yūhi-san.", he answered swiftly, hoping not to incur the wrath of Konoha's  _Genjutsu Mistress_. She was quite famous for trapping sexist men in a SSS-Rank genjutsu showing the  _Icha Icha Yaoi edition_.

"Enough! In the end it is my decision to make and I approve of all except Naruto.", Hiruzen interrupted.

"Naruto must be permitted too, Hokage-sama.", Kakashi threw in.

"And exactly  _why_  is that, Kakashi?"

"Well, because Sasuke and Hinata are going to refuse if Naruto gets excluded."

"Explain"

"All three have an extremely strong sense of camaraderie. Either they compete as a team or not at all."

...

Hiruzen found himself in a quandary. He folded his hands in front of his chin and mulled his options over. According to Kakashi's and Yūgao's reports Naruto would  _utterly destroy_  any competition so far, including his own teammates, like Itachi once did when he turned ten. They even referred to him as the second coming of  _Shunshin no Shisui (Shisui of the Body Flicker)_  due to the boy's skillful usage of the taijutsu technique he calls  ** _Soru (Shave)_** , which he mastered by now. All in all, he would definitely advance to the final round and the international guests might get suspicious of his last name. In addition, the boy is also unpredictable and could do something outrageous. However, without Hinata and Sasuke the masses will get really upset.

He sighed in defeat "Fine, I approve of Naruto as well."

* * *

**Timeskip: 5 Days**

* * *

For two and a half weeks Kakashi made his genin go through very intense training sessions on top of their own grueling exercises and it was time to showcase the fruits of their diligent labour in a secluded training ground with rocky terrain.

The sound of chirping birds filled the air. Sasuke was running at full speed, his  ** _Sharingan_**  blazing, all of his concentration focused solely on maintaining the tremendous amount of condensed lightning chakra in his left hand stable as well as his target, a very large rock plateau, and he thrust his arm forward, yelling the jutsu's name.

**"Chidori!"**

_BAM_

The raven-haired boy smirked in satisfaction. He just added a third decently sized smouldering dent into the rock and pulled out his hand, which was covered in bandages due to all the burns he had received from previous failed attempts. Catching his breath, Sasuke jumped backwards to join his team, disabling his  ** _Sharingan_**.

"Three times in a row and you can still stand, I'm really impressed, Sasuke. Even I can only pull off five a day.", Kakashi praised while eye-smiling and patted his pupil's shoulder before he faced his blond student "Naruto, it's your turn, show us what you can do."

Said boy, dressed in his orange jumpsuit and a new haircut, uncrossed his arms and stepped forward with a confident smirk on his face, standing close to Sasuke. Naruto figured that he would grow into a splitting image of the Yondaime if he didn't change his haircut, hence decided to try out something new. Therefore he let his hair grow a little longer, but kept it spiky and made it stand on end by utilizing  ** _Seimei Kikan ( ** _Life Return)_**_** , resembling Kakashi's gravity-defying haircut.  _(You can find a link to a picture on my profile)_

"With pleasure, sensei.", the blonde said with a hint of arrogance in his voice and kicked the air diagonally, sending out a long sharp compressed air blade.

**_"Rankyaku (Storm Leg)!"_ **

The projectile sliced deep into the rock, about a third of its diameter, creating a perfect diagonal fissure. Naruto was overjoyed! To think a few months ago the best he could manage was a gust of wind.

Naruto flashed his rival a smug grin at his accomplishment "Better luck next time, teme."

"Hn Just wait till I master the  ** _Raikiri (Lightning Blade)_**  and we will see who has the last laugh, dope", Sasuke grunted in response. Kakashi had told him about a deadly combo attack utilizing a  ** _Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone)_**  in order to create a chain of lightning that can cut through almost anything like a knife through butter, the  ** _Raiden (Lightning Cable)_**.

Hinata suddenly walked between the duo and pushed them gently apart, stating playfully "Give me some space, boys, and I will show you how its done."

Activating her  ** _Byakugan_**  she went through some hand seals and focused water chakra in her mouth with immense precision, causing her cheeks to bulge. Hinata closed her eyes in great effort. It wouldn't influence her aim at all thanks to her kekkei genkai. Besides, the  ** _Byakugan_**  allowed her to use this advanced technique in the first place at her current level, because if not for her dōjutsu supervising the chakra in her mouth Hinata's cheeks would  _burst open_  from the enormous pressure! After a few tense moments she fixed her target and  _fired_.

_**"Suiton: Suidanha (Water Release: Water Severing Wave)!"** _

A high-speed jet of water went past her lips and cut clean through the  _entire_  plateau, splitting it vertically in two!

...

Sasuke and Naruto were gaping and had eyes as wide as saucers. The lavender eyed girl giggled at their reaction, canceled her dōjutsu, and closed their opened mouths with her index fingers simultaneously, producing an audible  _clack_. She had let her hair grow past her shoulders, but kept it in a hime-style. However, this wasn't her most notable change. Hinata didn't stutter anymore!

Kakashi clasped his hands together "Excellent, Hinata! You by far exceeded my expectations.", indeed the girl finally came out of her shell. The spark which he briefly saw in her eyes during the bell test was now always present in her lavender orbs. Whatever restrains once held her back were now gone!

The sound of clapping caught her attention. Sasuke and Naruto applauded her, both smiling warmly at her.

"You did... exceptionally well.", Sasuke commented, acknowledging her progress. Such a compliment coming from an Uchiha was very rare!

"That was awesome, Hinata! You bested us by leaps and bounds!", Naruto added happily.

Her eyes were stinging and she blinked away the upwelling tears. "T-Thank you, Sasuke-kun, Naruto-niisan, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi eye-smiled "Well, I have seen enough for today. You are more than ready for the exams tomorrow. No more training."

"Alright, let us celebrate Hinata's success with Ichiraku ramen! Sasuke lost the competition, so he has to pay.", Naruto suggested enthusiastically, pointing his thumb at Sasuke.

"Hey! I'm not going to throw my money down your bottomless pit!"

* * *

Later that afternoon Naruto was gulping down his  _fifteenth_  bowl of ramen at inhuman speed. To his right sat Hinata, Sasuke as well as Kakashi behind the counter of the ramen bar, in that order. The three were watching him in a mix of horror, fascination, and disgust, having already emptied their bowls. They wondered where a human being could possibly store such a vast amount of food? Normally, Naruto ate civilized, but when he was really hungry after an extended period of training the blonde forgets any table manners.

_Burp_

'Disgusting!', the onlookers thought in unison, excluding Ayame and Teuchi, who grew accustomed to such a display a long time ago.

"I'm so full I doubt I can even walk.", Naruto moaned as he held his  _massively_  bulged stomach.

Sasuke felt no pity "Hn It's your own fault for eating like a  _pig_. If you think I will carry you home, forget it."

However, much to everyone's bewilderment, the blonde simply waved his hand dismissively. "No big deal, give me a moment...", he began and closed eyes in concentration, taking a deep breath.

**_"Seimei Kikan: Shōka ( ** _Life Return:_** Digestion)."_ **

Almost instantly Naruto turned super skinny! Hinata fell out of her seat, squealing, the owners of the restaurant took a fearful step back and both Sasuke and Kakashi stood up, analyzing him with their  _ **Sharingan**_ , worried for his well-being.

"Don't worry, guys! I'm okay, see.  ** _Kyūshū (Absorption)_**...  ** _Moto Dōri (Return to Normal)_** ", and as by miracle Naruto gained weight again, looking  _exactly_  like when he entered the Ramen Bar, flashing them a wide grin. Everyone stared at him unbelievingly and in the stunned silence that followed one would have heard the proverbial pin drop.

'U-Unbelievable, he can change the weight of his body at will?! That puts even the Akimichi to shame! Naruto... just what else can you do?', Kakashi pondered in awe and a slight amount of... fear.

In a blur Ayame and Hinata were in front of his face, making him feel a little uncomfortable under their stare "Um, is there something on my face, girls?"

Anime tears were streaming down their faces. "How did you do that?! Teach us, Naruto-sama! Please, we beg you!", both girls pleaded with irresistible puppy dog eyes. Damn, how could he say no to that?

Naruto tilted his head in curiosity "Uh Ok, but why would you want to learn that anyway? Just so you two know, to master  ** _Seimei Kikan ( ** _Life Return)_**_**  one must pass the training of a Sennin, which requires enormous mental and physical discipline. Are you up to it?"

Ayame huffed "Are you kidding me? You men don't have the slightest idea what sacrifices a woman has to make to keep her figure. Of course we are up to it!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated doriki chart:
> 
> Common armed Marine soldier (reference): 10  
> Rob Lucci: 4000  
> Kaku: 2200  
> Jabra: 2180  
> Blueno: 820  
> Kumadori: 810  
> Fukuro: 800  
> Kalifa: 630  
> Naruto: 510  
> Spandam: 9
> 
> When will Shizuka come into the picture?
> 
> During the canon timeskip period, probably before she met Sagiri, but I'm not sure about that yet, both will be around 15 by then. Just a reminder, Naruto is close to 13 at this point.
> 
> Are you going to let Naruto sign a Summoning Contract?
> 
> I'm thinking about having him sign the Neko Contract. Tigers, leopards, panthers, lions, pumas and so on, all kinds of feline predators of various sizes, from small like a house cat up to twelve meter large boss summons that can swallow a human whole. They can be used to deliver scrolls, scout, give a ride and of course aid Naruto in battle. No Sage Mode.
> 
> Will Naruto eventually wear something other than a suit?
> 
> I'm considering a variation of Jabra's outfit when we reach the Shippūden timeline.


	10. Worthy Prey

**Chapter 10 - Worthy Prey**

"There's nothing like freshly squeezed orange juice to start off the day, dattebayo!", Naruto exclaimed cheerfully once he had drunk a glass of the healthy liquid before placing it on the kitchen table next to him, licking his lips.

The eager boy was in high spirits this morning indeed. He had a good night's sleep, already performed his usual early warm-up exercises, took a vitalizing ice-cold shower, got dressed in one of his black suits, polished his leather shoes to high luster, and ate scrambled eggs along with toast and bacon for breakfast. All in all, Naruto was in the best shape of his short life. He felt energized and stronger than ever!

Acting on impulse, the blonde assumed an offensive stance and with a war cry he thrust his right knee forward at an imaginary opponent, followed by a quick succession of punches and kicks that appeared blurry to the untrained eye. Completing the sequence the boy smirked in satisfaction and raised a hand up to eye-level, forming a fist. 'I'm going to prove my worth and show them all the true might of an Uzumaki! I will make Kakashi-sensei and my ancestors proud... especially you, mom.', Naruto thought confidently, determination burning in his sapphire blue orbs. He was mentally and physically prepared for whatever obstacles the Chūnin Exams would throw at him today.

Besides, his blood was  _boiling_  for a real challenge to overcome! Sparring matches with Kakashi, Sasuke, Hinata, or occasionally Yūgao were just friendly competitions, lots of restrictions, amusing sport yet not truly satisfying. The warrior within him yearned for the thrill of battle, a chance to finally test the true extend of his power in an all-out fight against a worthy adversary and gain much needed experience on the battlefield. After all, there's no better way to become stronger than going through the struggle of survival. Training and exercises alone can only bring you so far. The more he fights, the stronger his opponents, the more powerful he will become!

Naruto moved out of the kitchen towards the bed and picked up his black forehead protector. The blonde's mouth formed a thin line as he stared blankly at the engraved leaf symbol. To think not so long ago this headband used to be his pride and joy, something earned through hard work, symbolizing his loyalty to Konohagakure no Sato. Now on the other hand, Naruto had to resist the strong urge to scratch it with a kunai. 'No, not yet, I have to wait for the right opportunity, but the time  _will_  come and once I'm strong enough I will wreak my revenge upon you three. You won't escape my wrath!', he pondered darkly, letting a low growl escape his throat, and tied it around his forehead.

How ironic, from his point of view, even though the shinobi villages as well as bounty hunter chase missing-nin those shinobi nonetheless enjoy the most freedom in the world! Not being confined within a village, free to roam the continent, no Kage telling them to do the dirty work, and to put icing on the cake missing-nin have the choice to work for whomever they want or simply make a living by collecting bounties.

However, as appealing as that sounds, Naruto was fully aware that if he joined their ranks he would be forced to leave his precious people behind. That sad prospect caused his heart to ache terribly, but there was no alternative, so he steeled his resolve. His mind was set, the  _Sandaime Hokage_  Hiruzen Sarutobi, the  _Toad Sage_  Jiraiya, and the  _Slug Princess_  Tsunade Senju are going to die at his hands in the name of  _Dark Justice_  and moving against them will inevitably result in him being branded as a traitor by the village anyway. In addition, Naruto had no doubt that the ruthless  _old ape_  would use his precious people against him as a shield if backed into a corner, hence pretending to have cut his ties with them was part of his plan to keep them all safe.

Shaking himself out of his musings he sighed in exasperation, pushing such depressing thoughts to the back of his mind, and left his apartment through the front door, making sure to lock it. The genin then walked up to the railing and jumped down onto the road below where most people, the older generation to be precise, ignored his sudden presence or rather  _tried_  to appear so. He could clearly sense their nervousness around him, some were actually scared. No one dared to send him a hateful glare anymore since the boy would always return one with a bone-chilling stare of his own accompanied with a tiny amount of killing intent, making even the braver civilians quiver. The people quickly learned not to mess with him as time went by and no longer were the storekeepers overcharging him. Also, after a little  _talk_  with his landlady the warm water supply of his apartment suddenly worked perfectly fine.

Naruto didn't hate the villagers. There was no reason to. He had already forgiven them on his tenth birthday for their cruel actions against him and they weren't involved in the Sandaime's treachery either, still, the young Uzumaki  _demanded_  a certain degree of respect. It was the least he could ask for because, like his mother, he had been unwillingly turned into Konoha's jinchūriki, ensuring their peaceful and boring lifestyle by holding the furball at bay.

After having confirmed that nobody was looking at him the wrong way the boy folded his hands nonchalantly behind the back of his head and set off towards the academy at a slow pace, taking a longer route. His team had agreed to meet before the entrance of the building and there was still plenty of time left, no need to hurry.

When passing the orphanage Naruto couldn't help but smile at seeing the children play and laugh together without a care in the world, despite the horrible memories that assaulted him. The formerly bleak building has been completely renovated and repainted, the playground renewed, and construction workers were extending the structure to provide more space for the kids. News spread that the orphanage had received millions of ryō from an anonymous donator. Apparently the Hokage honored his wish. That would change nothing between them though.

On the way he noticed some of his fangirls looking at him with literally hearts in their eyes, a sight that made him chuckle. Unlike Sasuke he didn't give them the cold shoulder since the adolescent boy appreciated the female attention. It boosted his manly ego to know he was considered desirable by the opposite gender, and best of all, every now and then one would present him delicious home-baked muffins.

He rounded a corner and as the blonde was wandering down the road a familiar sounding voice grabbed his attention, causing him to stop in his tracks.

"Naruto!"

Lowering his arms said genin turned curiously towards the source and his eyes widened in recognition. A bright smile spread across Naruto's face and he greeted the fast approaching person enthusiastically.

"Sakura-neechan, long time no see!"

Indeed it felt like an eternity. The last time he saw her was by chance about two months ago before he could detect a person's spiritual signature and to be honest Naruto wouldn't have recognized the girl if not for her unique pink hair and amazing jade green eyes.

Sakura's hair was much shorter now, barely reaching her shoulders, but her bangs still framed both sides of her face. She wore a long-sleeved open white jacket with a short collar over a black top along with brown shorts, black gloves, a supply pouch strapped around her right thigh, brown boots, and a red Konoha headband tied above her forehead as a hair-band. The jacket's cuffs and collar as well as the bottom were cherry-red. Moreover, a large yellow outlined flame setting ablaze a black kanji for  _Tōkon (Fighting spirit)_  adorned its back. Overall, Sakura appeared a lot healthier too, not as scrawny and fragile as he remembered her during their time at the academy when she  _barely_  met the physical requirements. In his opinion, she looked more beautiful than ever.

Having caught up to him the taller girl surprisingly first threw herself at Naruto, embracing him in a tight hug, which he gladly returned, feeling his cheeks heat up a little at the affectionate gesture, and immediately took note that the pinkette didn't wear any perfume like back in the days.

Releasing him, too soon for his liking, she took a step back and replied happily "Yes, way too long, I really missed you. Nice haircut by the way, it suits you.", and wondered 'Though, how on earth did you get your hair to stand up like that?!'

"Thanks! I think the same about your new appearance. You look super cool with that jacket, dattebayo.", he responded while scratching the back of his head with one hand.

Sakura giggled at the compliment "Nice of you to say so, Naruto-kun.", and gracefully spun around herself "Do you think Sasuke-kun will like it as well?"

"Only one way to find out! I'm on my way to meet him and Hinata at the academy. We are going to participate in the Chūnin Exams. You can tag along if you wish."

"Really? That's great! I'm on my way there too. My team has also been nominated.", Sakura answered excitedly. She was really looking forward to the event. Those exams were her chance to shine! An opportunity to prove herself as a kunoichi and hopefully make Sasuke see her in a new light.

As time went by Sakura grew steadily not only as a kunoichi but as a person as well. Naruto's motivational speech nearly three months ago, her renewed friendship with Ino as well as her assignment to Team Eight have changed her life for the better and, much to the girl's delight, that inner voice disappeared... or just decided to stay quiet for the time being.

Squad Eight had a...  _difficult_  start to say the least, mainly due to Shino's, Kiba's,  _and_  Akamaru's low opinion of her, but they slowly warmed up to her and Kurenai was a wonderful teacher, whom she admired as much as Tsunade. Also, since Kiba and Shino receive training primarily from their respective clan  _Konoha's Genjutsu Mistress_  was able to focus almost entirely on Sakura with prodigious results once she had successfully  _beaten_  the fangirl out of her pupil.

The blonde's eyes lit up in genuine curiosity at hearing this. According to his  _Kenbun-shoku no Haki (Observation Haki)_  the pinkette was about half as strong as Hinata at most, however, the boy would never judge someone's level of skill solely based on essentially a gut feeling, even if it was reliable, Kakashi taught him better than that. Besides, Naruto experienced first-hand that the girl packs one hell of a punch and he knew for certain Sakura was very cunning and creative, way smarter than him, capable of thinking multiple steps ahead. Only a fool would take a fighter with such qualities lightly.

"Awesome! I'm looking forward to see how far you have come, Sakura-neechan. Let's go.", Naruto said, gesturing her to follow, and both walked side by side towards their common destination.

* * *

A feeling of nostalgia overcame Hinata as she waited patiently for her two teammates to arrive. She stood near the front entrance in a new outfit, hands folded behind her back. The girl's attire consisted of a long-sleeved zip-up jacket with a short blue collar, a Yin-Yang-Symbol on the back, and blue cuffs, worn over mesh armor along with black pants that reached past her knees, a supply pouch strapped around her right thigh as well as low-heeled black sandals. The lower part of the jacket up to her chest was also blue, the rest white, and her forehead protector was tied around her neck as usual.

Being here again brought back some happy memories. The academy was a place where she was safe from her clan's abuse and could be close to Naruto. However, her face fell as more memories flashed before her mind's eye. Hinata recalled how she was often bullied by the other students, boys and girls alike, due to her timid nature as well as her eyes, especially by Ami and her popular gang when the teachers weren't watching. She wasn't regarded as the proud heiress to the Hyūga clan, but as an outsider, the white-eyed freak sitting in the last row of the classroom.

"Oi, Hinata, what's up with that sad face?"

Sasuke's concerned voice snapped her back to reality. Lost in thought she hadn't noticed him approaching! 'Dammit! This isn't the time to be daydreaming. I cannot allow my mind to drift off like that again. That part of my life is over, I must focus on the here and now.', Hinata mused and glanced at Sasuke to her left, taking in his appearance.

The boy was dressed in an antiquated long-sleeved black mantle that split down the lower half with the Uchiha clan crest proudly emblazoned on its back and a high collar, black pants, white bandages wrapped around his shins as well as black shinobi sandals. Tied around his waist was a red belt that held several pouches and his sword was tucked over his right hip. Lastly, he wore a blue Konoha headband over his forehead.

"No need to worry, I'm fine, Sasuke-kun, I was just... being reminded of unpleasant events, that's all. I'm over it.", she assured him with a small smile, appreciating his sympathy.

Sasuke eyed her suspiciously for a moment before nodding in response "Alright, but if there's something on your mind, anything at all, know that I will be listening."

The girl seemed to contemplate his offer. After a few moments in silence Hinata met the boy's onyx orbs and replied in a serious tone "There is something that troubles me recently... I fear for Naruto."

Her teammate raised a quizzical eyebrow "How so?"

"For one thing we still don't know what exactly happened to him on the bridge, he and Kakashi-sensei are tight-lipped about that, and for another thing he always had two types of chakra, one blue and the other red...", Sasuke was astonished, not having observed this with his  ** _Sharingan_**. The Uchiha hated to admit that the level of insight the  ** _Byakugan_**  granted put his own dōjutsu to shame, there was no denying it.

"I knew this for years, but never asked him what this is all about because I respect his privacy, everyone has their secrets, however, three weeks ago any trace of that red chakra vanished. Ever since then Naruto has been acting... weird sometimes. For instance, have you noticed the murderous glare he sends towards the Hokage Monument every now and then? Naruto also stopped telling he would become Hokage one day. Something's wrong. He's trying to hide it, but I feel that he's suffering. Why is he keeping so much from you and me, doesn't he trust us?"

The moment Hinata finished talking Sasuke crossed his arms and closed eyes in deep thought, processing the information. Now that she mentioned it his rival was acting a bit strange as of late. 'Three weeks ago... We returned and Kakashi-sensei immediately escorted Naruto to the Hokage. That can hardly be a coincidence. I may be jumping to conclusions, but that red chakra could have had something to do with Naruto's scary transformation back then and something had been done that prevents it from occurring again. However, this doesn't explain his odd behaviour or why he and sensei would be so secretive about it.'

Opening his eyes again he said "You know Naruto would trust us with his life. There's more to this than meets the eye. I suggest once this is over we should confront him with your discovery and see how he reacts. Right now we must concentrate on the tasks ahead and not get distracted."

She agreed "You are probably right, Sasuke-kun, all in good time."

With that being said a somewhat awkward yet comfortable silence settled between the two.

Finally, after a few seconds the raven-haired boy muttered quietly "I like it."

Hinata didn't really understand and tilted her head in confusion "Huh?"

Whereupon he added "Your outfit... it looks nice.", blushing slightly at the last part and seeing her cute puzzled expression, silently hoping she wouldn't notice.

Sasuke felt deep down that he might be falling for the Hyūga heiress. Over the last weeks it became increasingly difficult to take his mind off the girl, especially when trying to fall asleep and sometimes even during sleep. Hinata epitomizes everything he desired in a female, meeting all his standards and more. She was attractive, no, scratch that, drop-dead gorgeous, but his feelings for her were beyond just mere physical attraction. Seeing her smile and hearing her laugh always gave him a warm sensation, lightening up his own mood, and when he had witnessed her in sorrow moments ago it felt like his heart sank. A sad expression or frown just doesn't belong on her pretty face. Moreover, Hinata was kind, caring, and gentle, a sweetheart in general, smart, elegant, cultured, and strong. He had no doubt that she could stand by his side as his equal and be a responsible mother too. Not to mention her cooking skills were amazing.

His dreamgirl was right there in front of him, so what on earth was holding him back from asking her out?! One thing, the rational part of his mind that was currently at war with his heart. Her clan would never accept Hinata marrying someone outside her family for the bloodline of the main branch needed to be kept as pure as possible. The Uchiha clan was similar in that regard, but didn't enforce that policy as strictly, Sasuke knew his father had arranged a marriage between his first-born, Itachi, and one of their cousins  _(The arranged marriage part is made up, but we know Itachi had a lover, chapter 401, whom he killed as well, thus implying the girl was an Uchiha)_ , whereas he as the second-born was free to marry somebody outside the clan if he so chose. Furthermore, as much as it may hurt him, he didn't want to be selfish and destroy her goal of uniting the branch and main family someday. Sasuke wanted her to be happy and would always support her as a friend, no matter what.

Upon hearing the boy's compliment Hinata immediately averted her gaze downwards, the ground seemed suddenly very fascinating "T-Thank you... say, why are you wearing those medieval clothes?"

"That's my clan's traditional battle uniform, I found one in my size used for ceremonies. As the future head of the Uchiha clan I simply feel it's my duty to preserve our customs, though, I left out the armor since I didn't want that heavy piece of metal to slow me down. I rather exchange additional protection for greater speed and mobility.", Sasuke elaborated, he needed to get much faster in order to catch up to his rival.

Their attention was suddenly drawn to said rival and Sakura approaching them.

The blonde greeted his adopted little sister first "Hello, Hinata!", before acknowledging his best friend with a short "Teme", receiving a "Hello, Naruto-kun" as well as a grunt followed by "Dope" in response, and continued "Look who I have stumbled upon, Sakura and her team are going to participate as well."

Sasuke couldn't believe the news 'Wait, what?! Are you kidding me?!  _She_?!', but didn't voice his doubts. The Uchiha was under the impression that one must possess at least a decent level of skill to be even considered for the Chūnin Exams and from what he remembered the pink-haired girl was only book-smart... but then again, he at first severely underestimated Naruto too and was proven otherwise. In the end Sasuke reflected on what Itachi told the Uchiha military policemen years ago before he beat them into ground faster than they could blink.

_It's not wise to judge others based on your own preconceptions and by their appearance._

Facing her crush after so long Sakura's heartbeat began to pick up 'Kami, he looks like a prince out of a fairy tale!' and she had to suppress a fangirl squeal.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun... Hinata-chan."

Sadly, Sakura only remembered the female Hyuga's name because Naruto had mentioned her earlier. Despite spending nearly five years together in the same class under Iruka she didn't know her at all, they rarely interacted with each other. However, she could tell that something about the inconspicuous and reserved lavender eyed girl had changed.

Catching sight of Hinata's well endowed chest for a girl their age from up-close the pinkette fought hard with herself to not let her body betray any signs of jealousy, thinking 'No need to worry, Sakura, you are just a late bloomer, be patient.'

"Hello, Sakura-chan"

"Haruno-san"

The girl in question smiled widely at the boy's response, it has been a long time since he had acknowledged her presence like that instead of giving her a mere impolite snort. Her joyful moment was short-lived though when she heard Hinata unexpectedly call out "Naruto-kun, is something wrong?", and she naturally averted her gaze to the blonde. He was staring intently at three incoming figures.

One was an attractive teenage blond girl with teal eyes and four ponytails. She wore a light purple dress held closed by a red sash with a black object tucked into it on her backside. The second was an adolescent boy wearing purple face-paint in a black hooded full body suit who carried something large wrapped in bandages on his back. Both flanked a boy with auburn hair about the same height as Naruto. He had no eyebrows, tanuki-like black eye rings, teal eyes which in contrast to the girl's lively orbs appeared almost soulless, and a blood-red kanji for  _Ai (love)_  on the left side of his forehead. The redhead wore a black short-sleeved full body suit with an open neck and a white cloth over his right shoulder and the left side of his hips. Moreover, he carried a huge gourd on his back secured by a leather band.

All three had forehead protectors that identified them as Suna-nin. The girl and the taller boy were arguing loudly.

"Would you  _please_  quit harping on me, Temari. I thought the brat was lying about being the Hokage's grandson to save his own skin. There was just no way in hell such weak shit could be related to a Kage. Besides, that little pest deserved a lesson in respect."

"Not only did you breaking his nose almost got us expelled from the exams but nearly caused a diplomatic incident! Us three bowing down and pleading an eight year old runt for forgiveness was the most the most humiliating..."

"Shut up...", the short boy's command was barely above a whisper, yet both instantly ceased talking, a fearful expression plastered on their faces.

"This argument ends  _now_. Kankurō, I will kill you should you disgrace us and our village again. Temari, your voice is beginning to  _annoy_  me."

"Y-Yes, Gaara", both exclaimed obediently in unison.

His so-called siblings meant absolutely nothing to Gaara, they were just dead weight and he wanted to get rid of them so badly, though, he had to tolerate their presence for a while out of necessity for his very first A-rank mission, but they were walking on very thin ice by getting on his nerves.

The redhead stopped abruptly, causing his companions to halt as well. He could feel someone's eyes resting on him. Searching his surroundings for the person his teal orbs met a pair of icy blue ones and the world grew eerily quiet as a deafening silence enveloped them, neither willing to break eye contact. Then, both slowly moved towards each other as if hypnotized.

'Speaking of weird behaviour, what are you up to, dope?', Sasuke thought in confusion. He didn't like the dangerous vibe emanating from the guy Naruto was approaching one bit, it was giving him the creeps.

'Seriously, what kind of self-respecting ninja wears a suit and what are those ugly lines on his face supposed to be? Whisker tattoos? How ridiculous...', Temari mused as she eyed Naruto analytically and spotted Sasuke behind him, causing her cheeks to flush 'Oh Kami, the raven is  _HOT_!'

Once they crossed the short distance that had separated them both Gaara and Naruto stood firmly face to face about an arm's length apart, their gaze still boring into the other's soul, and high tension filled the air. The pressure grew so strong that any civilian, academy student, or ordinary genin nearby would have fainted! It startled the birds in the tree crowns nearby as well, sending them scattering into the sky.

The onlookers stood rooted to the spot, swallowing hard, a cold shiver was running down their spine while their mind's eye showed them a macabre display. The opposing jinchūriki were each surrounded by what appeared to be a gradually expanding aura, Gaara's golden-yellow and Naruto's dark-blue. The former appeared wild and untamed like raging fire, the latter calm and controlled. Soon the energies clashed violently against each other like predators fighting for dominance.

After what felt like an eternity the oppressing feeling finally disappeared, making the spectators release a sigh of relief.

Gaara spoke up first "Our eyes are very much alike, filled with hatred and death, longing for power, they tell me how badly you wish to kill the ones who put you through the hell called loneliness... You wish to fight me?"

Naruto smirked, exposing his sharp canine teeth "Fight you? No, not really, try something stronger, like obliterate."

The sadistic grin that spread across the redhead's face as result threatened to split it in two! He was shaking with excitement! 'Y-Yes, mother! I can  _feel_  it! His blood will taste divine!'

Before this could get out of hand Temari yelled  **"Gaara! Remember _why_  we are here!"**

Her brother's maniacal smile slowly faltered upon hearing this. He stopped shaking and his face morphed back into a stoic façade. As much as he hated it the redhead had to contain himself...  _for now_. He wouldn't pass up the upcoming  _feast_  that the Kazekage had promised him. An opportunity to cut loose and devour hundreds of victims, a chance to please  _mother_  and feel alive like never before.

"You are interesting, I demand your name."

Still wearing that confident grin the blonde answered "I am Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki."

" _Sabaku no Gaara (Gaara of the Desert)_ , until we meet again,  _Uzumaki_...", looking over his shoulder he addressed his teammates "Kankurō, Temari, we are going."

Passing Naruto the redhead walked calmly towards the entrance, ignoring the other frightened Konoha genin who parted before him, followed swiftly by his sister and lastly his older brother, who had a piece of advice for the, in his humble opinion, unfortunate blond boy "You just dug your own grave, pal, be smart and enjoy your last moments while you can for he will find you, no matter where you hide or how far you run."

Hinata had a hard time to comprehend what just transpired before them 'N-Naruto-niisan wishes to kill someone?! Hatred? N-No, I don't believe this, he and this Gaara are nothing alike!'

Glancing back at his petrified comrades Naruto raised an eyebrow and voiced his confusion "What? Is something wrong?"

"N-Naruto! You gave us a scare! What in the world has gotten into you? That guy he... he's a  _monster_!", Sakura said in shock, still not having regained her composure fully, sweat was covering her brow. How can Naruto possibly act so carefree after being subjected to that sinister boy's extreme murderous intent?! She was still quaking in her boots!

The pinkette was exposed to strong killing intent once before on her squad's first C-rank mission, which involved escorting a cowardly chūnin named Shibuki back to his village, Takigakure. When they almost reached their destination a messenger hawk notified her sensei about an emergency meeting and Kurenai had to go back to Konoha immediately, telling them to head back home once the mission was successfully completed. However, things turned ugly and Sakura as well as her teammates had to fight for their lives against Shibuki's former teacher, who wanted to obtain Taki's treasure, the  _Eiyu no Mizu (Hero Water)_ , and a bunch of Ame missing-nin he hired. They only survived through excellent teamwork, Shino's battle strategies, Shibuki growing a pair and consuming the  _Hero Water_  that amplified his chakra at the cost of his lifespan, and... sheer luck. But the killing intent Naruto and this Gaara were radiating moments ago was off the charts! Was that how a clash between elite jōnin intent to kill each other feels like?

The blonde just laughed her concerns off "Yes he is, and that's exactly what gets my blood pumping! I was able to feel a great power within him, violent and threatening. This Gaara is pure evil, a ruthless and heartless killer who cares only for himself, someone I want to battle to the death. He will definitely come at me with the intent to kill and hold nothing back. I'm really excited!"

Hinata's eyes widened in utter disbelief "You can't be serious. Why? Why would you even want to do that?"

Naruto shrugged and stated in a matter of fact tone "Simple, to measure my capacity, of course. Is it so hard to understand?"

Sasuke heard similar words before and hearing them again shocked him to the core! 'N-No, h-he sounds just like...', his hands started to tremble and his skin turned pale as parts of the conversation he had with Itachi on that fateful night began to ring in his ears again.

_Why... did you..._

_To measure my capacity._

_I don't understand... Just for that? Just for that, you killed everyone?_

_You will become the rival I require in order to test my capacity. You have the potential._

Sensing the raven-haired boy's anxiety Naruto locked eyes with him and teased "You look like you have seen a ghost, Sasuke. Don't tell me the  _Rookie of the Year_  is getting cold feet?"

The Uchiha exhaled deeply and replied "No, of course not. In fact, now that we are all assembled we should get a move on." and thought warily 'Hinata is right, I don't know what's going on, but we will get to the bottom of this and help you... brother.'

Taking the lead he marched towards the entrance with Naruto and Hinata following close behind. Noticing Sakura not moving the lavender eyed girl inquired "Aren't you coming as well, Sakura-chan?"

"N-No, go ahead, I first have to meet up with my teammates at the backyard."

* * *

'Please, the genjutsu is more than obvious, we are on the second floor, not the third,  _morons_.', Naruto thought in disgust at seeing two Konoha shinobi disguised in a sloppy  ** _Henge_**  intimidate a bunch of fellow genin. Amongst the group he detected three signatures that stood out, one of which radiated a mix of great sorrow, anger, hatred, and bottled up frustration that he could relate to. All these intense emotions were coming from an outwardly calm Hyūga, who was very popular among the girls at the academy he recalled, but couldn't remember his name.

Sasuke watched the event unfold in apathy after he had flashed his  ** _Sharingan_**  briefly to copy the illusionary technique. In skillful hands even such a simple jutsu can change the tide of battle in one's favor, it might come in handy someday. Furthermore, the young disciple of  _Sharingan no Kakashi_  wanted to amass a vast amount of techniques just like his sensei and role model, who was rumored to have copied over a thousand jutsu.

Hinata on the other hand fixed her gaze on just one person 'Neji-niisan...' She wasn't aware that he would take part in the Chūnin Selection Exams. Though, what on earth was he doing there? She knew her cousin was too good to fall for that kind of cheap trick. He was a truly outstanding fighter, a taijutsu genius, even most main branch members secretly acknowledged his skill, and the younger Hyūga generation was looking up to him, including her sister Hanabi and herself.

"Please, let us through.", a brown-haired and brown-eyed girl pleaded meekly, kneeling next to her  _downed_  comrade, a boy with immensely thick eyebrows who kept his dark hair in a bowl-cut.

The brunette stood up and approached the two guardians. A bad move because the concealed Izumo Kamizuki, one of Konoha's gate guards and full-fledged chūnin, tried to backhand her. However, before his hand could connect with her cheek he felt a strong grip holding his right arm in place, startling him and his partner 'W-What happened?!'

A boy in a black suit and gravity defying spiky blond hair, who just...  _appeared out of nowhere_ , was restraining him with just his left hand and seemingly no effort!

The two chūnin weren't the only ones surprised.

For the first time in his life Neji was questioning his blessed eyes 'N-No way! Nobody can tap the ground ten times in an instant, that's impossible! Was that an illusion? Were my eyes deceiving me?'

'S-So fast?! It's him! It has to be! The youthful fighter with golden hair Gai-sensei told me about.', Lee mused in awe, his mouth hanging open. Despite being used to what most genin  _and_  chūnin would perceive as extreme speed all he saw was a blur!

Tenten blinked. Taking a step back she looked at the boy who had just intercepted the blow she was prepared to take. Huffing the girl put her hands on her hips and complained "I didn't need your help, you know?" Did he think she was weak and needed his protection?

Naruto gave her a genuine smile. "Yea, I  _know_  you are much stronger than you are letting on, but whenever I see such a brute about to hit a lady outside of a spar for no reason I just can't help myself. By the way, what's your name, sweetheart?", he said and sent her a wink at the last part.

This caught the tomboyish girl completely off guard and she blushed, avoiding his sparkling ocean-blue eyes. No boy has ever shown any kind of interest in her before, it felt extremely good, especially considering the guy in front of her was quite a hunk.

Shuffling her feet nervously she replied "T-Tenten... just Tenten."

"A pretty name, I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

Izumo's right eye started to twitch in annoyance at being ignored as well as the boy's easygoing attitude. "Hey! Quit flirting and let go of me,  _genin_."

Soon after those words left his mouth Naruto tightened his hold almost to the point where it felt like Izumo's elbow and radial bone would snap and the chūnin yelped in pain, getting down on one knee.

His comrade, Kotetsu Hagane, was immediately on the move and aimed a kick directly at the blonde's head, reinforcing the attack with enough chakra to send the boy flying across the entire hallway.

Reacting on instinct Tenten jumped backwards, but surprisingly Naruto made no attempt to dodge!

At this point Lee decided to spring into action and block the kick, though, Neji seized his  _youthful_  teammate's shoulder before he could and activated his  ** _Byakugan_** , curious to see the outcome of this confrontation.

_**"Tekkai (Iron Mass)"** _

_BAM_

Direct hit!

Kotetsu grimaced and fell to the floor with a thud, clutching the shin of his right leg. 'What the hell is this boy made of?!'

Naruto appeared none the worse for wear!

The onlookers were gaping, except for Sasuke and Hinata, the majority questioning their resolve to take the exams.

'I-It didn't even faze him?! I clearly saw his facial musculature tense, yet he didn't use any chakra. Whatever technique he just used, it was pure taijutsu.', Neji observed and shut off his dōjutsu.

The blonde released Izumo, who quickly straightened himself, and Naruto narrowed his eyes, glaring down at Kotetsu "That was totally uncalled-for. I only taught this guy here who doesn't know how to treat a girl a lesson in proper manners. Besides, was that weak kick really supposed to hurt me?  _Pathetic_... By the way, do us all a favor and dispel this ridiculous genjutsu and while you are at it drop the amateurish  _ **Henge**_. It's impolite to hide one's true face behind an illusion."

'Unbelievable! What's he going to be like when he's full grown?', the two guardians pondered simultaneously and shuddered at the thought. Once both had regained their composure fully they complied with the blonde's request.

_Poof_

Kotetsu, now in his natural form and standing straight again, responded "You are good, kid,  _exceptionally_ _good_. However, it takes more than excellent observation skills and the ability to take hits well to pass the Chūnin Exams, keep that in mind."

"Yea, sure, if your level of skill is all it takes, then this will be a walk in the park for me and my squad,  _senpai_.", Naruto retorted smugly, waving his hand dismissively, which, in turn, caused both examiners to scowl.

Afterwards Team Seven walked together through the hallway and Hinata cast a brief glance back at Neji, who glared daggers at her.

Tenten had a dreamy look on her face and Lee gazed determined at the red swirl on Naruto's back, fire literally burning in his eyes.

* * *

Kakashi's squad was about to leave the dojo and head for the large hall where all participating genin are supposed to be gathered in half an hour but the group stopped unexpectedly.

"There is no sense in hiding, we know you are following us, come out and show yourself.", Sasuke exclaimed and the boy with the huge eyebrows from before jumped right in front of them, blocking their path, and assumed a ready stance, feet placed apart about shoulder width, left arm behind his lower back and his right hand raised up to his chest, the outstretched palm facing inwards, wearing a serious expression on his face.

Sneaking around like that was suspicious. The Uchiha activated his fully evolved  ** _Sharingan_** , letting the three tomoe spin threateningly to look more menacing, and asked "What do you want from us,  _Bushy Brows_? Speak up or we will make you spill it out!"

'So this is the feared  ** _Sharingan_** , the eye bloodline of the genius Uchiha clan rivaled only by the Hyūga's  ** _Byakugan_**.' Not intimidated in the least the boy in the green jumpsuit responded "My name is Rock Lee and I wish to spar against your blond teammate, Uchiha-san...", looking directly at Naruto he added "Do you accept my challenge, Naruto-kun."

Rock Lee? That name rang a bell.

_Um Iruka. The students are supposed to be tested in this room._

_No, not Naruto. He's a special case like that Rock Lee kid a year ago, remember?_

Special? The blonde eyed Lee analytically for a moment, who strongly reminded him of that Gai fellow he encountered long ago. Perhaps they are related? 'His stance is flawless, that posture, it's the  _Gōken (Strong Fist)_ , a simplistic offensive style relying on raw speed and strength to overwhelm one's enemy and inflict massive damage, leaving the opponent often with broken bones, and his eyes, I'm sure he has experienced real combat and seen death... he might provide me a little amusement.'

"Alright, but to make one thing clear, it's Naruto _-san_  to you, Lee-san, you are not one of my nakama."

Lee relaxed his body right away, giving the blonde a short bow "Thank you, and I apologize if I seemed rude, Naruto-san, for it was not my intention."

The Uzumaki nodded "Apology accepted"

"Naruto-kun, stop, we don't have time for...", Hinata urged, but was promptly cut off.

"I know what I'm doing, Hinata, please, let me handle this. You two just lean back and enjoy the show."

Sasuke knew from the look in his best friend's eyes that there was no way of talking him out of it and Naruto already accepted the challenge, thus he moved closer to the exit in order to give them some space and motioned for Hinata to join him, who quietly did so. He kept his dōjutsu active though to record this match, hoping to gain some valuable intel on a possible future adversary and maybe learn a new technique. The Uchiha didn't care whether people would accuse him of stealing their moves which they had worked so hard for to create or master true to the motto  _life isn't fair, deal with it_. He was a ninja, not a samurai bound by a stupid codex of honor, and willing to jump at any given opportunity to extend his arsenal.

Once the battleground was finally cleared Naruto proceeded to crack his neck as well as his knuckles audibly at the same time. Grinning, he declared "Before we commence answer me this, why do you want to fight me so desperately, Lee-san?"

The dark-haired boy returned the smile. Slipping into an offensive stance he replied "Among those on top two types are common, the genius type and the hard-working type. My dream is to prove that with hard work and passion one can surpass a natural genius. However, there exists a very rare breed of fighter, a third type... the hard-working genius. Everything comes so easy to one yet such a person constantly seeks to test his limits and push beyond them in order to become the strongest he or she can possibly be, somebody like you, Naruto-san. I merely wish to know how my  _Flames of Youth_  compare to yours!"

No sooner he said those words Lee dashed at his opponent as quickly as his weights would allow him and delivered a spinning roundhouse kick to Naruto's head, which the Uzumaki effortlessly parried with his left forearm.

The blonde was mildly impressed, smirking he praised "That kick... had power."

Lee quickly recovered and intended to hammer Naruto's torso with a flurry of mighty punches next, but the young Rokushiki master was ready to face the assault head on.

**_"Tekkai (Iron Mass)!"_ **

The taller boy hit him repeatedly in the stomach and lower ribs before cocking a fist back in order to throw one powerful punch at his sternum. However, by using  ** _Soru (Shave)_**  Naruto avoided the finishing blow, now standing about fifteen meters to Lee's left, coughing a bit. That previous onslaught had disturbed his breath control momentarily! 'Man, the name Gōken truly fits this style. Even though my  ** _Tekkai (Iron Mass)_**  is not truly perfected yet knocking the wind out of me is quite a feat.'

'Wow, Lee-san is almost as fast as I am and strikes incredibly hard!', Hinata observed and turned on her  ** _Byakugan_**  upon which her eyes grew as wide as saucers 'His chakra coils, they are so tiny and underdeveloped like those of a toddler! He shouldn't even be able to use E-rank jutsu! How on earth did he graduate?'

'This guy is definitely no pushover, however, if that's the best he can do... then he doesn't stand a chance in hell.', Sasuke deduced from what he witnessed so far.

'D-Did he just use the  _ **Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)**_?! His chakra control must be amazing to pull that off!', Lee pondered in bewilderment, having missed  _how exactly_  Naruto managed to dodge the very last second, and decided to not give him any time to recuperate, swiftly launching a high kick at his head again.

**_"Konoha Senpū (Konoha Whirlwind)!"_ **

Seeing the attack coming a mile away the blonde ducked under it, whereupon the descending Lee put his left palm on the wooden floor to support his body, this time aiming a devastating low kick at his enemy.

'So the first kick was a ruse to trap me on the ground and minimize my chance to evade the second,  _good_...', Naruto mused calmly. Suppressing his reflexes he refrained from crushing his opponent's ankle between his elbow and knee since this was just a friendly spar and instead retaliated by grabbing Lee's leg firmly with both hands 'But not quite good enough.', then he whirled around and released his foe, who backflipped a few times in midair before landing on his feet, switching immediately into a defensive stance.

"Not too shabby...  _my turn_.", Naruto scoffed and sprinted towards Lee at unreal speed while shaking his extended right arm up and down fast enough to create an optical illusion of a wave pattern!

'W-What is he up to?!', the young apprentice of  _Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey_  was uncertain of how to counter properly or what to expect from his adversary. In the split second he had to react Lee settled for going with his gut and hastily crossed his arms to block.

Unfortunately for him though that action left the spot Naruto aimed for wide open.

**_"Shinaru Shigan Hoippu (Bending Finger Pistol: Whip)!"_ **

Pulling back his arm after having proclaimed the name of the technique he whipped it out at the taller boy's right shoulder, smashing his index finger into it, however, Naruto bent his index finger the moment it came into contact with the fabric of Lee's jumpsuit, who released a shriek of agony as he was sent hurling backwards and crashing into the wall from the sheer force of the strike. The impact had created fine cracks running along on the wall!

' _Maybe_  I overdid things just a bit. That guy is much weaker than I anticipated. Strange, he should be way more powerful from what I sense, this is child's play.', Naruto pondered in disappointment when he saw the measly state his sparring partner was in. He appeared dazed, grunted in pain, and his right arm hung limp.

'Oh no! Lee-san's shoulder is dislocated.', Hinata noticed the injury and was about to offer medical aid, but Lee surprised everyone by first closing his eyes tightly shut and taking a few deep breaths before slamming his injured shoulder into the wall to pop it back in! His pain-filled cry echoed through the room, causing the girl and Sasuke to flinch.

Lee was leaning against the wall, panting slightly 'It's no use, he's shrugging off my attacks like they are nothing, his speed is overwhelming, his strength superhuman, and his reflexes are superior to mine. Naruto-san is formidable! At this rate, I will get slaughtered...'

The sound of somebody clapping interrupted his train of thought and he turned his head to look at Naruto.

"Bravo, Lee-san. That's the spirit! So far it has been rather entertaining...', the blonde paused and sighed 'but to be honest, I'm getting bored. You cannot beat me at this level. Please, don't waste my time, I  _know_  you can do better than  _this_ , so stop holding back and come at me with everything you've got."

Disbelief was written all over Lee's face 'What?! Does that mean he wasn't even trying the whole time? Forgive me Gai-sensei, I have no choice but to use  _that_  move. An opponent of such high calibre demands no less...' His expression turned serious again. Not taking his eyes off his adversary he loosened the bandages around his left forearm.

While this was occurring Hinata spotted someone who looked like an older clone of Lee with her  ** _Byakugan_**  "We have a visitor."

Sasuke nodded curtly "I know"

Maito Gai's student then charged at Naruto again. However, instead of attacking his foe directly he suddenly changed direction and circled around him. Concentrating hard he prepared himself to execute one of his deadliest moves  ** _'Kaimon: Kai (Gate of Opening: Release)'_**

The Uchiha's red eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets! Lee's speed just shot through the roof! He was about five times faster than before and even Sasuke himself would have minor trouble fending him off now.

Hinata recognized what the boy just did right away thanks to her extensive knowledge on the chakra pathway system and was taken aback. The  _Hachimon (Eight Gates)_  were labeled as  _kinjutsu (Forbidden Techniques)_  for a reason! The body's internal limiters exist to prevent it from disintegrating. Removing them forcefully can severely damage the body to the point that the user is left crippled, or worse, dies! And Lee was misusing the technique for a sparring match! How careless!

Naruto didn't move an inch, he simply closed his eyes and stood absolutely still, posture relaxed, focusing entirely on keeping his breath steady and the immediate environment in order to predict Lee's next move with his  _Kenbun-shoku no Haki (Observation Haki)_ , whose range almost doubled after the mission to Nami no Kuni. He learned from the scroll that one's eyes cannot always be trusted and that one doesn't even need them to be aware of what's going on around you, a true warrior can learn to  _see_  without them.

'Why isn't Naruto-san moving to defend himself?! I don't understand, is he just going to stand there and leave himself open?', Lee wondered, but he couldn't afford to waste anymore time. Keeping just one gate open for a prolonged period of time puts even his trained body under immense strain. 'Now!'

Time seemed to slow down for Naruto and what followed felt like an out-of-body experience. He watched in vivid detail how Lee's bandages suddenly shot out and wrapped themselves  _tightly_  around his torso and thighs to restrain his movements. Afterwards, the dark-haired boy kicked him hard in the chest from a slightly crouched position, which launched him high into the air, before reappearing behind his flying form, grabbing him, and turning his body upside down. Lee then started to rotate at great speed and let gravity finish the job. His body slammed  _head first_  into ground!

His eyes shot open and were greeted by the sight of white bandages in front of him. He swiftly slid the kunai concealed in his right sleeve into his hand and cut them in an upward slash, immediately letting go of the knife.

**_"Omote Renge (Front Lotus)!"_ **

**_"Kami-e (Paper Art)"_ **

Naruto evaded the powerful kick by bending his body around his foe's right leg and trapped it in his left armpit. He then seized Lee's throat with his right hand, swept the taller boy's other leg out from under him, and smashed him hard onto the ground. All this happened before the kunai which the blonde had let go hit the floor!

_Clang_

Only now Naruto noticed another incredibly powerful presence in the vicinity, but chose to ignore the person for the time being and met his shocked opponent's gaze "Give up, I could easily snap your neck like a twig, this poor excuse of a fight is over. It seems you are still not taking me seriously, therefore I see no reason to drag this out any longer."

Lee was speechless for a moment as was his sensei observing their exchange from his hiding spot, who would have intervened and stopped his student from fully executing the  ** _Omote Renge (Front Lotus)_**  of course and intended to scold him afterwards.

"I... admit defeat.", was all Lee managed to say, feeling a bit winded.

Naruto released him, picked up his kunai to conceal it again, turned around, and was walking towards his teammates, who canceled their respective dōjutsu.

Lee hopped back to his feet and called out "Naruto-san, please wait..."

The Uzumaki came to halt and faced him again upon which he crouched down, ready to remove his ankle weights "You are right, I'm sorry, I wasn't taking this match as seriously as I should have. If you are willing to give me another chance I will fight you at full..."

_Poof_

"Lee! That's enough!", barked Maito Gai as he appeared next to his apprentice in a puff of smoke, looking stern, and all attention was now on him. No member of Team Seven was taken by surprise since they knew he was close by.

"G-Gai-sensei, y-you were watching?", Lee exclaimed a bit fearfully.

"Yes I was, Lee... Tell me, what have I told you about removing  _them_.", Gai replied with steel in his voice.

His pupil gulped "That it's meant as a last resort and even then only when the lives of many precious people are at stake."

**"Then why were you about to disobey my explicit instructions, idiot?!"** , the jōnin screamed before punching his disciple in the face with enormous force, enough to send him soaring through the air, causing the spectator's eyes to widen.

'What's the deal with this guy?!', they thought in unison. Naruto knew from the few previous encounters with the man that he had some crazy quirks, but beating one's student to a pulp is taking things a bit far. Reading the jōnin's intentions was very difficult too.

The teacher then walked up to the beaten form of his student, knelt down, looked into Lee's watering orbs, and began to shed tears of his own " _Le_ _e_ , forgive me, I know your  _Flames of Youth_  burn with such passion that it's hard for you to control them, but you must not get carried away. Always think things over and remember, deception is a ninja's greatest tool. Should you be matched against either Neji-kun or Uzumaki-san in the exams I will allow it and you shall unleash all your might and strength!"

"S-Sensei"

"Lee"

"Sensei, I..."

"It's okay, Lee. Let it all out."

"Sensei!"

Soon after those words were uttered teacher and apprentice embraced each other. As if that sight alone wasn't gut-wrenching enough for the three unfortunate spectators their mind's eye showed the duo doing it on a beach under an orange sun as a wave collided against the shore and they had to resist the urge to throw up. Glancing at each other the members of Squad Seven silently agreed to swiftly retreat from the scene and let the two green-clad shinobi enjoy their little moment alone.

* * *

"That was...  _horrible_.", Sasuke commented as they walked up the stairs leading to the third floor. Wasn't he punished enough already? Now there was another image that will haunt him in his nightmares.

"Yea, let's pretend it never happened, ok?", Naruto proposed from behind.

"Agreed", Hinata said, who was taking the lead.

It didn't take the group long to finally reach the third level and Team Seven marched towards the door of a large hall where Kakashi was already awaiting them. Their sensei was smiling widely under his mask as they lined up in front of him.

"There wasn't a single shred of doubt in my mind that you would see through the first unofficial test of the Chūnin Exams and like I announced yesterday I brought two special items for each of you...", Kakashi paused, pulled something wrapped up out of a pouch from his flak jacket, unpacked it, and held three pills out in front of them "...first, take one of these."

His genin complied and eyed their pill curiously.

"These are  _Hyōrōgan (Military Rations Pills)_ , aren't they, sensei?", Hinata inquired. Every Hyūga learns about them and their effects on the body eventually while studying the chakra pathway system.

Kakashi nodded "Spot on, Hinata. I think they will come in handy should you three encounter an overwhelming enemy."

"But I thought they are normally reserved for combat assignments. How did you get them, sensei?", Sasuke asked as he looked at his pill in disgust. The boy remembered very well how bitter such a pill tastes like. He had once searched Itachi's pouches for something interesting years ago and mistook one for candy. Luckily the young Sasuke spat it out and didn't swallow it since his chakra coils were not developed enough at that time to handle a sudden massive influx of chakra. Itachi and his parents had given him a long lecture afterwards.

The white-haired tokubetsu jōnin eye-smiled and scratched the back of his neck in response "Well, being a former ANBU captain definitely has its perks and many of my former colleagues owe me their lives, I simply called in a favor."

Naruto frowned. He had no idea what they were talking about and questioned "Um guys, someone care to enlighten me? What exactly are those pills good for?"

Kakashi was about to explain but Hinata spoke up first " _Hyōrōgan_  are more commonly known as soldier pills, Naruto-kun. They basically revitalize and enhance the body with highly concentrated stimulants and nutrients and temporarily nearly double one's chakra, allowing a person to fight far beyond his limits. According to statistics the medicine enables the average shinobi  _(fodder genin and chūnin)_  to fight for three days and three nights without rest."

"I see, thank you, Kakashi-sensei, but no thanks.", was all the blonde said before he closed his right palm, crushing his pill. That unexpected action surprised the others.

"What the hell? Dope, why did you do that? That was incredibly stupid.", Sasuke voiced his confusion. Didn't Naruto listen to all the benefits? Having such a pill would be invaluable in a life or death situation.

Letting the remains fall to the ground Naruto met his gaze and reasoned calmly "As tempting as it may sound, that momentary increase in power comes at a price, teme. Consuming one of those is not the wisest move in my opinion for it will leave you completely exhausted hence in no condition to continue fighting once the effect wears down, which depending on the intensity of the battle might happen long before 72 hours have passed, and, in addition, you won't be aware of the true damage your body suffers during the fight due to the drugs altering your perception of pain, making you more reckless. I don't know about you but while I understand Kakashi-sensei's intention to give us a kind of life insurance that are risks I'm not willing to take. To me all this far outweighs the benefits."

What the young Uzumaki didn't mention though was that his pride wouldn't allow him to use doping as a means to achieve victory and the same applies to poison.

Kakashi exhaled deeply "Your assessment is absolutely correct. Taking a soldier pill does have negative side effects and I was about to warn you three to only use them if your lives are at stake. Should you find yourself forced into a corner, Naruto, I honestly hope you won't regret your decision. Regardless, I also brought you...", he stopped his speech again, reached into another pouch, and took out three gadgets to show them "... radios. I already calibrated them. They are bug-proof and cover a range of nearly two kilometers."

The blonde let out a low whistle. The wonders of modern technology never ceased to amaze him. "Wow, that's cool and pretty useful, especially in conjunction with Hinata's  ** _Byakugan_** , but why do we need long-range communication for the Chūnin Exams?"

"You will know soon enough.", their teacher answered cryptically, neither willing nor allowed to reveal anything specific about the exams, and offered Hinata all three devices "Store them away for now, Hinata, it's better the competition doesn't know about them."

The lavender eyed girl nodded and did so. Afterwards Kakashi addressed all of his students again. "As we have discussed before Sasuke is going to be the team leader as of now. That means you will have to follow his orders, Naruto. Did I make myself clear?"

To emphasize his point Kakashi stared intently at his headstrong blond pupil, who had crossed his arms and pouted childishly.

The logical part of Naruto's mind told him this was the most reasonable decision. His friend was a better tactician than him and Hinata, more suited for the job, that he was willing to admit, nevertheless the blonde felt a bit hurt that his father figure chose Sasuke over him, that he was being denied a position of power despite being the superior warrior, his pride couldn't stand it. However, if Kakashi deemed him not worthy just yet then he simply wasn't, the boy valued his mentor's opinion above anyone else's.

"Affirmative, sensei", he muttered quietly.

Seeing his teacher still staring at him he sighed and rolled his eyes in annoyance, uncrossed his arms, and repeated his answer louder this time "Affirmative, sensei"

"Good, now, before you three go in there I want to remind you that the Chūnin Selection Exams are merely a checkpoint to evaluate your skills. No matter how far you may advance, whether you obtain the rank of chūnin or not, I'll always be proud of you. Come back safe and sound, that's most important to me.", Kakashi finished with an eye-smile and stepped aside.

Those encouraging words caused his genin to smile brightly and they entered the large room with unwavering confidence in a line formation, Sasuke in the middle, Hinata to his right, and Naruto on the left.

As the door slid shut Kakashi caught a brief glimpse of a ninja among the crowd of genin in the hall and his lone eye widened in horror as he saw a ghost of his past, he would never forget that face 'W-What?! N-No, it's not possible! He should be dead! I killed  _him_  with my own hands so many years ago! There's no way he can be alive! What's going on?!'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter has given you a better picture of how strong Team Seven really is, especially Naruto. I might have upset Lee fans a little, but think about this, Lee was always depicted as extremely fast during the exams, yes, but at that point in time he actually isn't that strong in the grand scheme of things, opening the gates is the only trump card he has, in canon Sasuke managed to become as fast as him without weights after just a month of training with Kakashi, Gai stated that himself. Also, Kimimaro, who was on his deathbed, blocked Lee's Omote Renge casually. Right now Naruto is about the same level as post timeskip Sasuke (without cursed seal powers) when he confronted Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato in the desert, basic Lee is no match for Naruto.
> 
> Since when do ninja have honor?
> 
> They don't and I understand if some readers might be confused. Let me clarify, Naruto has no qualms about killing someone from behind like he did in wave country or delivering a cheap shot unlike samurai with all their honor codex. His sense of honor revolves around not killing innocents, at least those he dubs as such, and honoring agreements. Also, he repeatedly refers to himself as a warrior instead of ninja.
> 
> Haki in the Naruto world? How is that even remotely possible?
> 
> The following sounds a little far-fetched, I know, but it makes some sense and works for me as the author. What we know about Haki is that it's essentially based on one's spirit and Naruto characters have access to their spiritual energy and even use it to perform their jutsu like the Nara clan (Shadow techniques) and Yamanaka (Mind Body Switch), that are not bloodline techniques, the clans just keep them a secret, they can be learned as can Haki by everyone in the One Piece world. Furthermore, Haki also involves detecting spiritual energy and sensory ninja sense chakra, which is imbued with the person's spirit (yin part of it), Karin's Kagura Shingan is actually very similar to Observation Haki when you think about it.
> 
> In this story I decided that Naruto, like selected individuals in the One Piece world, was born with a strong affinity towards Observation Haki. In a way he's similar to Otohime and Aisa (the little girl in the Skypiea Arc). Also, the Third Raikage was born with powerful Armament Haki, and Rikudō Sennin had phenomenal Conqueror's Haki like Shanks that he used to subdue the Jūbi with his willpower long enough to seal it within his body. Luffy, Rayleigh and Shanks have demonstrated that it's possible to tame wild beasts with Haki.
> 
> Naruto's skill in fūinjutsu:
> 
> Naruto learned a lot from Kakashi and has an intuitive understanding of fūinjutsu, but he still has a long way to go before his skills in that area are comparable to that of the Sannin. Information on the art is limited and there's no way in hell he's going to ask Jiraiya to tutor him, so he can't get rid of the seal on his neck any time soon. Furthermore, he created the seal in his apartment that stored the Rokushiki scroll by himself.


	11. Wolves Among Sheep

**Chapter 11 -** **Wolves Among Sheep**

'Someone up there must really hate me. Why do I always get dragged into crazy situations like this? If only I were allowed to quit I would be out of here in a heartbeat. I'm not suicidal, dammit!', pondered a thirteen-year-old girl with shoulder-length crimson hair and matching pupil-less eyes, who stood amidst a crowd of over one hundred and fifty foreign shinobi, all waiting for the Chūnin Selection Exams to finally commence.

Naturally, having so many ninja from different villages gather in one spot was bound to create an atmosphere of tension and mistrust. Many looked as if they were itching to lash out at their hated enemies and the silence that reigned inside the hall was extremely unnerving. Nonetheless, Karin managed to hide her anxiety behind a strong façade, hoping no one would see through the tough act.

She wore an unbuttoned short-sleeved beige jacket along with a short black skirt over a sleeveless fishnet mesh suit as well as brown glasses, black sandals, and a Kusagakure forehead protector that adorned her brow, which was mostly obscured by strands of her red hair. Furthermore, the girl was flanked by her two male teammates and another Kusa unit was nearby, however, this did little to boost her confidence.

While her physical strength and stamina were quite impressive for a girl her age Karin was no outstanding kunoichi, far below average in fact, since no one bothered to seriously train her in the shinobi arts. Unfortunately, all she knew were the absolute basics of combat, the bare minimum to pass the academy, therefore Karin was well aware that she would be completely useless in battle against one those trained ruthless assassins. The only purpose the redhead served was to essentially be used by her fellow Kusa-nin as a walking med-pack should one of them get critically injured for her chakra possesses miraculous healing properties.

But resorting to that wasn't without risk since the procedure drains Karin's chakra at an alarming rate, consequently risking death due to chakra exhaustion if performed too often a day. Moreover, the process itself was very painful as well because in order to heal themselves these  _savages_  bite her and suck her chakra out like vampires, leaving the poor girl with a permanent bite mark. It was beyond her why she wasn't allowed to study  _Iryō Ninjutsu (Medical techniques)_  so she could simply transfer her chakra into a patient instead, despite having requested this numerous times.

Regardless, even taking that neat ability and luck into consideration Karin had determined that the odds were overwhelmingly stacked against them. The redhead possessed yet another very helpful skill, which she had kept a secret, a sensing ability she was born with that puts even the world's finest sensory ninja to shame,  _Kagura Shingan (Mind's Eye of the Kagura)_. It made her realize just how hopelessly outmatched they really were. The single Kumogakure team for instance was mountains above them, hell, three individuals in the room were easily  _jōnin level_  from what she could tell and they felt extremely dangerous. Merely focusing too long on one of these signatures was enough to make her skin crawl!

The first was an inconspicuous purple-clad young adult with ash-grey hair wearing a Konoha headband over his forehead and glasses like herself. She had to admit this guy was doing a truly remarkable job at blending in as well as concealing his true strength. Karin was sure that even the most experienced sensors would dismiss him as a high level genin, bordering low chūnin. His chakra felt malicious and repulsive to her, the total opposite of his charming demeanor. A prime example of how looks can be deceiving.

The second was an Iwa shinobi about the same age, maybe a year or two older she guessed, and a little taller, whose chakra appeared to be tainted by hatred as if he became utterly consumed by it and had nothing else to live for. It was detestable, saturated with malice. His shaggy hair was brown in color. He had piercing black eyes, sharp facial features, fair skin, and an athletic toned build. His outfit consisted of a leather harness which protected his entire torso, grey pants, brown boots, metal arm guards engraved with Iwagakure's village symbol as well as a scarlet forehead protector around his waist as a belt that held two pouches on his back. All in all, this man conveyed the image of a cold-blooded killer.

And last but not least the most dangerous person in the hall by far, a short redhead from Sunagakure, who looked like was suffering from a severe case of insomnia. His own potent and oppressive chakra was overshadowed by a significantly larger second source of ominous golden-yellow chakra deep within him that threatened to swallow her if she got too close.

Suddenly, the sound of the door opening caught everyone's attention and Karin saw three youths in her age group enter the room. The girl adjusted her glasses as she tried to get a better look at the intruders from a considerable distance and scanned them with her  _Kagura Shingan_ , causing her jaw to drop in amazement at the awe-inspiring chakra she sensed. 'I-Incredible, I never felt anything like this before... Who is this guy?'

The indigo-haired girl with freaky lavender-white eyes and the attractive raven-haired boy to her left were indeed a force to be reckoned with, however, even their combined strength paled in comparison to their azure-eyed comrades' might. His powerful chakra was intriguing, bright yet cold at the same time. In addition, the blonde's gargantuan reserves nearly match the total amount of golden-yellow chakra inside that scary Suna-nin!

Unfazed by all the hostile looks directed at them, Kakashi's proud disciples stood their ground and a fierce staring contest ensued. As a consequence, the already thick atmosphere in the room grew even more tense!

Being honest with herself, Hinata was certain that if her squad had followed their sensei's command and abandoned Tazuna on the way to Nami no Kuni the current situation would have unsettled her greatly, but after everything the young Hyūga heiress has been through during that assignment, the horrific sight of Gatō and his henchmen falling victim to  _Yami no Seigi (Dark Justice)_  along with Haku's suicide as well as his master's gruesome demise still fresh in her memory, brushing off those sinister expressions was nothing. The standoff between Naruto and this Gaara person earlier today was much worse. Besides, her teammates were counting on her and she won't let them down!

'Sasuke-kun, Naruto-niisan, there's no turning back now, this is the moment of truth. I won't be a burden this time around,  _that's a promise_  and I never go back on my word!', Hinata thought confidently, determined to prove herself to the boys, and intensified her glare, meeting even her cousin's cold gaze for a moment, who was a little taken aback on the inside upon seeing the incredible resolve in the girl's lavender-white orbs strengthen even further.

'That look in her eyes... not a single trace of doubt, hesitation, or unwillingness to fight. Could it be that you have grown a backbone,  _princess_?', Neji mused before closing his eyes and activating his  ** _Byakugan_** , resulting in the veins around his temples to bulge, and reopened them immediately afterwards to reveal all his pent-up hatred for the main branch of his clan in one terrifying glance '...Then I'm going to  _break_  it and put you back in your place! People cannot change,  _Hinata-sama_ , no matter how hard they try. From the moment we are born our fate is set in stone. You are foolish to oppose your destiny. Fate has determined that you are worthless and I'm going to prove this to you. A failure will always remain a failure!'

By the end of his inner monologue Neji had balled his hands into fists and clenched his teeth in anger. The fuming boy was struggling heavily to keep his emotions in check. His father, the second-born twin, was ordered by the main house to take his accursed uncle's place as a sacrifice in order to trick Kumogakure without even being given the chance to bid his only son farewell, thrown away like a disposable commodity. Something so miniscule as the order of their birth had decided this outcome. It wasn't fair! As if that tragedy alone wasn't punishment enough already the seal carved into his forehead on Hinata's third birthday condemned him to a life of slavery, forcing him to serve the same bastards who  _murdered_  his father... A cruel fate he cannot escape.

Standing behind him to his left Tenten gave the trembling Hyūga prodigy a worried look and quickly put a hand on his shoulder in an effort to calm her livid comrade. Leaning in closer she whispered harshly "Neji! Snap out of it! Remember, you promised us not to let that grudge of yours get the better of you!"

The girl's words appeared to show effect. His posture gradually relaxed and he exhaled deeply, whereupon she let go of him. Neji then canceled his dōjutsu and pondered 'Right, I have to stay level-headed. The exams will start in about five minutes. Hurry up, Lee! What is taking you so damn long?!' His green-clad teammate may be blind to the truth, but he would never show up late to such an important event in a ninja's career, especially after their teacher had granted them a year of additional training. Not that the Hyūga genius needed that extra time anyway due to his superior bloodline and great mastery over the jūken, regarded as one of the deadliest hand-to-hand combat styles in the entire world. For once fate was in his favor, he will definitely come out on top.

Meanwhile, Naruto was checking out the competition with his  _Kenbun-shoku no Haki (Observation Haki)_  in an attempt to isolate any promising opponents among the group aside from Gaara, neglecting his ability to sense emotions entirely for the time being in order to extend his sensory reach as much as possible.

He chose to ignore the pathetic amount of collective murderous intent aimed at him, though, the young Rokushiki master was tempted to teach these impudent weaklings some respect for their insolence by launching a horizontal  ** _Rankyaku (Storm Leg)_**  at the gawking mass of ninja, the look of utter surprise and terror on their faces would be priceless, but assaulting someone without permission would only get his squad expelled and impressing a bunch of cretins pretending to be warriors just wasn't worth ruining this perfect opportunity to test himself in battle. Not to mention Sakura was slowly making her way towards him alongside her teammates. He would never risk putting her in harm's way.

It didn't take him long to complete the task. Once finished, Naruto folded his arms over his chest, a content smile forming on his face that aggravated the glowering crowd even more. 'What a pleasant surprise. Those exams should prove to be most entertaining, indeed.', he chuckled internally. The Uzumaki now had two more foes which he looked forward to facing in combat.

Sasuke put his right hand over the hilt of his tantō and narrowed his eyes at a dark-skinned Kumo kunoichi. She was sending him a challenging smirk and provoked him by slowly reaching for the wakizashi strapped on her back. The swordsman within him hoped to get a chance to fight the redhead and wipe that smug grin off her face! His musings were cut short though when he noticed a small group advancing towards his squad from the right.

"You guys are taking this troublesome exam too, huh? How annoying.", Shikamaru exclaimed calmly with his hands stuffed lazily inside his pockets as he came to halt next to Hinata, thinking 'Here I was hoping they wouldn't arrive on time. This will make things  _a lot_  more difficult for us. Knowing Sasuke he has most likely improved considerably since our graduation and I can tell this is definitely not the Hinata we used to know. Also, Naruto is a dangerous wild card in this game.'

The members of Team Seven switched their attention to the future generation of the world-famous  _Ino-Shika-Chō Trio_  on their right. Chōji was eating chips continuously at a moderate pace and Ino appeared to be lost in her own little world, ogling Sasuke and Naruto, which earned her scornful glares from a majority of kunoichi in the hall.

Sasuke and Hinata acknowledged their former classmates with a brief nod of their heads. Naruto on the other hand only greeted the Yamanaka with a small smile "Hello, Ino-san. Nice to see you again.", deliberately ignoring the Nara and Akimichi heirs.

At that moment, before anyone could comment on Naruto's rude behaviour, Kiba decided to announce his presence and take the spotlight, having stepped out of the crowd together with Sakura and Shino. His loyal partner, Akamaru, was resting comfortably inside his coat. "Well, well, well, this is going to be interesting, all nine rookies assembled and ready to partake in the Chūnin Exams..."

Meeting Sasuke's indifferent gaze the Inuzuka continued "Don't think the title  _Rookie of the Year_  means anything here, Sasuke-kun. Much time has passed since our graduation. I'm going to kick your pompous ass, and advance to the rank of chūnin!", which caused a tick mark appear on Ino's forehead.

The Uchiha scoffed in response "Hn Barking dogs seldom bite, Inuzuka. I hope you can put your money where your mouth is."

Kiba grinned widely at that, showing off his pronounced canine teeth "Trust me, you have no idea how strong I have become. You won't stand a chance against me."

"Big words, for such a small fry.", Naruto sneered, gaining looks of mild surprise from the other rookies.

"What was that,  _loser_?! You want me to rearrange your whiskered face?", Kiba immediately inquired, raising a fist threateningly towards the blonde, and Akamaru followed with a loud bark.

Sakura quickly stepped between them and lifted her gloved hands in a peaceful manner "Guys,  _please_ , stop it. We shouldn't fight among ourselves.", giving her impulsive teammate a pleading look that made him comply and back down. Naruto also decided to cease any further taunting upon feeling his adopted sister's concern. That imbecile will have a rude awakening sooner or later.

All of a sudden, an unknown male voice came from behind Asuma's unit, lecturing them all "You rookies really are a noisy bunch. This isn't a field trip. Take the situation more seriously and quiet down a little, jeez."

The genin in question turned to look at its source. Those who were paying close attention to their surroundings, namely the ever vigilant members of Team Seven as well as Sakura and Shino had detected the person's approach a while ago, hence they weren't surprised by his sudden appearance.

"Who the hell are you?! And what does that mean?", Ino asked the stranger, feeling a bit startled.

"My name is Kabuto Yakushi, young lady, just take a look around and you will know what I mean. You guys have made quite an impression..."

Doing so the Yamanaka's face turned pale at being confronted with the overwhelming pressure of more than a hundred ninja glaring daggers at her. She gulped nervously and felt cold sweat running down the back of her neck. Chōji wasn't faring any better, almost dropping the bag of chips in his left hand. Shikamaru and Kiba were on the edge and Akamaru whimpered in the latter's jacket. Only Kakashi's disciples along with the remainder of Squad Eight looked unaffected.

"See? You got on everyone's bad side. Certainly not a favorable position to be in, especially for newbies, but don't worry, since the lot of you rookies remind me so much of my former self I'm willing to help you out by sharing my knowledge with you. This is my seventh time taking the exams.", Kabuto said, giving the youngsters a reassuring smile.

At the last part he received many unbelieving glances and silence followed.

'Seriously?! Wow, this guy must suck worse than Naruto, if that's even possible.', Kiba thought in utter disbelief.

'Are those exams really that difficult, even for somebody with  _that much_  experience? Sigh What a drag, if that's true we will need all the assistance we can get...', Shikamaru contemplated, thankful for this chance to obtain some intel beforehand. 'Still, this seems a bit too convenient. We shouldn't trust him blindly. He could be trying to deceive us.'

Naruto eyed the nineteen-year-old genin warily 'Bullshit, I already dealt with typical chūnin material. Someone of his strength level cannot possibly have failed so many times. If my hunch is correct he should be able to hold his own against Yūgao, maybe even Kakashi-sensei on a good day. Besides, that smile is fake. This guy is shady as hell.'

Sasuke was the first to break the silence and asked suspiciously "What do you hope gain? I find it hard to believe that you want to help us simply out of the kindness of your heart. Why aid your possible future adversaries?"

'Excellent, Sasuke-kun, you have the mindset of a true ninja, unlike most shinobi in this pathetic village.', Kabuto silently praised and replied in a sincere tone "True, you have no reason to trust me, but I can wholeheartedly assure you, as your comrade and senpai, that I only have the best interest of you all in mind. The Chūnin Exams have a high death toll, no matter what village is hosting them. My information might raise your chance of survival, thus it would be wise to at least hear me out, regardless of my motives, wouldn't you agree?"

"Point taken, go on.", the Uchiha answered curtly.

Having everyone's attention again Kabuto pulled out a huge deck of cards from a pouch on his back. "These special  _Ninja Info Cards_  contain all information I collected over the past four years on the exams, including the results of my investigation for this one...", he paused, knelt down, laid the pile on the ground, and demonstrated how the cards work by channelling his chakra into a seemingly blank one. The others were observing Kabuto intently, having formed a semi-circle around him.

_Poof_

The previously empty card now displayed a map of the elemental continent, showing the total number of participants and what village they hail from.

'Hm 161 contenders? That equals the number of ninja currently present in this room. Kabuto-san must have monitored the door and updated his statistics accordingly each time a squad entered.', Hinata noted to herself. Even if Kabuto had somehow acquired a list of all officially registered genin, it was unlikely that he could have predicted the correct number considering the measures taken by the organizers to prevent the examinees from reaching this place.

"Be warned, this year's competition will be extremely tough. As you can see, Konoha, Suna, Kumo, and Iwa, four of the five most powerful ninja villages decided to partake this time, which is quite unusual, as well as five minor ones, Ame, Kusa, Taki, Getsu(Moon), and the recently founded Otogakure.", Kabuto summarized.

"Nice card trick, but do you actually have some  _useful_  information? Like personal data for instance.", Sasuke questioned.

Pushing up his glasses Kabuto responded "Of course, I have information on pretty much everyone here. Just tell me what you know about the people who interest you and I will look them up."

"Tell me what you know about  _Sabaku no Gaara (Gaara of the Desert)_...", Sasuke began. He then slowly drew his sword and pointed it at the single Kumogakure team "... and those three over there."

Karui and Omoi tensed, ready to intervene and cut the cards into pieces at Samui's command, who shook her head in disapproval.

After taking a glimpse at the Kumo-nin Kabuto searched his deck and quickly found the desired information "Alright, here we go, first,  _Gaara of the Desert_ , aka the  _Terror of Suna_ , youngest child of the Yondaime Kazekage. He's listed in the latest edition of the Bingo Book with a bounty of 10 million ryō on his head. According to that entry he recently completed a B-rank mission single-handedly without a scratch. He's also notorious for leaving none of his enemies alive as well as killing even his own people mercilessly and indiscriminately..."

When he paused to let that sink in the mood within the entire hall changed drastically. Most ninja in the crowd now looked stunned at the news.

Even Shino, who, like all Aburame, possessed a great degree of control over his emotions, was caught off guard 'U-Unbelievable, I thought Sakura-san was exaggerating when she warned us about this person. I never imagined we could encounter such an immense threat in these exams, his bounty is twice as high as Kurenai-sensei's! A direct confrontation should be avoided at all cost.'

Sakura averted her gaze from Kabuto to her spiky-haired friend, a predatory grin was etched on his face, her emerald orbs reflected concern 'Naruto-kun, what on earth possessed you to pick a fight with such a remorseless killing machine? And now, after hearing this, you appear even more eager to fight him. Why is this so important to you?'

The pinkette's eyes rested on him for a while longer until Kabuto continued his speech.

"Regarding the unit from Kumo. Their names are Samui, Karui, and Omoi. They have an outstanding track record for a genin team, 22 D-rank, 56 C-rank and  _three_  B-rank missions. All of them are extraordinarily skilled in kenjutsu as well as the students of...", the spy gasped for dramatic effect "... Kumogakure's hero,  _Kirābī_."

The mere mention of that name caused nearly everyone's eyes to widen in shock!

Sasuke's grip on his tantō tightened, he was still pointing it at the Kumo-nin. Droplets of sweat formed on his brow, his heartbeat quickened, and his lips curled upwards as he re-established eye-contact with an arrogantly smirking Karui. 'How fortunate! To think I would receive an opportunity to measure myself against the disciples of the  _World's Greatest Swordsman_!', he thought in anticipation. Though, as much as that prospect excited him the Uchiha would never put his team in jeopardy just to seek a confrontation.

Chōji, along with Kiba and the remainder of Squad Ten, had no clue why this was such a big deal to everyone else and voiced his confusion "I don't get it. What's so special about this Kirābī-guy?"

...

Kabuto, along with the majority of ninja in the room, resisted the urge to smack his forehead at such ignorance. For some reason, Konoha's Ninja Academy nowadays neglects teaching their students essential knowledge about the world outside these walls.

Letting out a sigh he continued to play the role assigned to him by his master and answered the Akimichi's stupid question "Kirābī aka  _Killer Bee_  is one of the world's most renowned shinobi with a bounty of 180 million ryō, and the current Raikage's adopted brother. Both used to clash multiple times with our Yondaime Hokage during the war and actually fought him to a standstill. He's famous for his unique kenjutsu,  _Nanatōryū (Seven Sword Style)_ , not even Mangetsu Hōzuki, who at some point had mastered all seven legendary blades, could match his skill in swordsmanship, as well as being the world's only  _Perfect_ _Jinchūriki_."

The few who didn't know anything about Killer Bee or those with just superficial information were now gaping in astonishment.

In addition, the unfamiliar term at the end piqued especially Gaara and Naruto's interest.  _Perfect_ _Jinchūriki?!_  What was that supposed to mean? And how could someone known as a vessel of a demon be called a hero instead of monster by the people of his village? This man has also been entrusted with his own squad, whose members seem  _proud_  to be trained by him. From their own experience this didn't make any sense. What was different about Kumogakure? The two young jinchūriki felt deep down the strong need to meet this man. Was he here, in Konoha?

Being too engrossed in thought they  _almost_  missed what happened next. Wholly unexpectedly, someone threw a smoke bomb with amazing force through an open window into the hall. Very few genin inside noticed this though.

_Poof_

**"Attention, you worthless** **maggots** **!"** , a deep and stern voice announced from within the cloud of smoke.

As the smoke slowly dispersed it revealed a tall imposing man with two long scars running across his face. The pressure of his intense gaze alone demanded respect and obedience. He stood in front of two dozen chūnin, including the two gate guards which Naruto humiliated earlier today.

The members of Team Seven immediately recognized this man from Kakashi's Bingo Book as Ibiki Morino, tokubetsu jōnin, and commander of  _Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Force_ , making him a crucial part of the village's intelligence, which was reflected in his bounty. This man's head was worth 48 million ryō!

Extending his right arm the man pointed his index finger towards the entrance " _You_ , if you don't want to be disqualified get your ass in here,  ** _now_**!"

Lee, who had just creaked the door open, instantly gave a salute "Yes, sir!", and ran past the rookies in a green blur to join his comrades.

Naruto smiled, his sapphire blue orbs gleaming with excitement, at long last the Chūnin Exams are about to start!

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in his formal attire, stood on the roof of the Hokage Tower with his hands resting behind his lower back, a fresh breeze blew through his grey hair. The wise leader was gazing upwards at the faces of his predecessors carved into the Hokage Monument with a thoughtful expression. He could feel it in his bones, the end of this relatively peaceful era is approaching, slowly but surely. Who can preserve the order and harmony after his death and lead the village through the troubled times to come? Whom can he entrust Konoha's future? Other than Itachi Uchiha he couldn't think of anyone else under his command worthy of the title  _Hokage_ , and the one Hiruzen had built his hopes on had declared that he crushed that goal.

The  _God of Shinobi_  released a disappointed sigh 'Naruto, I honestly believed that you inherited Hashirama-sensei's will along with your father's, but instead you chose to walk down a path of revenge, what a shame.'

For a long time Hiruzen lived in denial about the darkness growing inside Orochimaru's heart and leaving his prized student unmonitored was perhaps the greatest mistake he ever made, resulting in the death of hundreds, maybe thousands of people. The Sandaime was determined not to let history repeat itself and decided to keep a close eye on Naruto again.

One evening, after being unable to observe the boy via his special crystal ball due to unknown countermeasures, he ordered Jiraiya to investigate. A wise decision as it turned out because most shinobi would have been unable to sense let alone sneak through the spherical detection barrier Naruto had set up around his secret training ground in the woods, designed to alert him of any movement occurring inside, but not a spymaster of Jiraiya's caliber. Capturing a squirrel the Toad Sage used advanced Yin chakra manipulation to merge with its shadow and temporarily take control over the animal, allowing him to infiltrate the location successfully and witness the true genius of Minato and Kushina's son when it comes to ninjutsu first-hand.

Not only did Naruto master the  _ **Rasengan**_ , but he was already working like a man possessed on taking this destructive technique to an even higher level, similar to how Kakashi developed his  ** _Chidori_**  into the  ** _Raikiri (Lightning Blade)_**.

Hiruzen closed his eyes as he mulled over how to deal with the troublesome blonde 'Naruto is undeniably the most talented shinobi of his generation with the potential of surpassing even his father, whether he uses the beast's chakra or not. As Hokage, I must act in the village's best interest and try to regain his loyalty. We can't afford to lose such an invaluable future asset or have him turn against us. The seal alone can't keep him in line forever. I know he's never going to forgive me and no longer views Konoha as his home, but I sincerely hope Naruto can still be reasoned with and accepts the concessions I'm willing to offer. Otherwise...', the Hokage reopened his eyes again, his expression turned dead-serious '... I will be forced to transfer him to ROOT and let Danzō handle this matter.'

* * *

'Hurry up, already! How much more of my time are you going to waste?!', Naruto thought angrily as he listened to Ibiki's long-winded speech about the purpose of this first exam to the few dimwits who couldn't figure that out by themselves, growing more impatient by the second. He was sitting in the front row with his arms crossed, scowling at the proctor.

All in all, completing this written test was a piece of cake for Squad Seven. The young Rokushiki master by himself was able to solve four out of the nine given problems, decoding a cryptogram, sketching a seal, describing the trajectory needed to hit an enemy with a shuriken from atop a seven meter tall tree as well as predicting the maximum throwing range based on a diagram, and lastly, a question about pressure points that only a seasoned medic or proficient martial artists could answer. The other five however pretty much required a master's degree in theoretical astrophysics to solve.

Hinata easily acquired the answers to those with her  ** _Byakugan_**  from an undercover chūnin with sample solutions, and after mimicking her pencil movements with his  _ **Sharingan**_  Sasuke had used the genjutsu he copied from the two gate guards in the hallway to project them on Naruto's desk. Afterwards, they had to wait agonizingly boring twenty minutes for Ibiki to reveal the final tenth question. Needless to say Kakashi's students weren't fazed by the man's feeble attempt to break their resolve.

The interrogator then proceeded to give his speech during which he also exposed some his hideous torture markings, well-deserved in Naruto's opinion. That pitiful excuse of a warrior got captured because he was  _weak_ , that's all there is to it.

"... You have made it through the entrance. The first stage of the Chūnin Selection Exams is over, I wish you luck.", Ibiki finished, smiling warmly at the genin.

Just as a sense of relief began to spread across the hall someone wrapped in a black cloth smashed through the window! Still in midair, the intruder tossed two kunai at the ceiling with the ends of the fabric attached to them in order to secure the banner that read  _'_ _Second Chūnin Exam proctor, Anko Mitarashi, is here!'_  before gracefully touching the ground and being rewarded with numerous dumbfounded expressions.

"There's no time to celebrate, boys and girls, I'm the examiner of the second test, Anko Mitarashi...", the purple-haired woman first introduced herself, raised a fist, and continued enthusiastically  **"Let's move on to the next stage, follow me!"**

...

A bright smile appeared on Naruto's face, the excitement he felt about an hour ago returning full force 'Wow! What a stupendous entrance! I couldn't have done that better myself! Things will surely get a lot more interesting now, dattebayo!'

This new proctor was much more to his liking.

* * *

Orochimaru's former disciple led the remaining 36 squads to a remote area on the farthest outskirts of Konoha. Nearly everyone was staring in awe at the humongous trees of the  _Shi no Mori (Forest of Death)_  in front of them that dwarfed even impressive eight meter tall fence surrounding the woodland, giving off a strange sense of foreboding. Naruto on the other hand could barely hold in the anticipation he felt, a big grin adorning his face as he wondered what kind of great adventures were lying ahead of him.

The blonde's smile faltered abruptly though when his instinct alerted him that something was out of place. Looking around for anything suspicious he noticed that a red-haired Kusa-kunoichi appeared to be scared to death of the other Kusagakure unit, particularly by the man with long black hair wearing a straw hat and plain grey garbs along with black pants and a thick purple rope belt around his waist. She was shaking like a leaf, her crimson orbs wide with horror!

If there was one jutsu Naruto could boast to have attained a greater mastery over than his sensei it was the  ** _Henge_** , thus he saw through the professionally created solid illusion of the other two figures standing closely behind the black-haired man. They were using a  ** _Konbi Henge (Combination Transformation)_** , a technique enabling two individuals to  _fuse_  into one being, meaning that this team was composed of five ninja, not three, a very sneaky move he had to admit. 'But not enough to fool me.', the boy mused with a proud smirk. Still, why was this girl so terrified of her own comrades all of a sudden?

Closing his eyes the Uzumaki tried to gain more intel with his  _Kenbun-shoku no Haki (Observation Haki)_ , furrowing his brow in concentration.

A couple of seconds later his eyes shot open in surprise!

'What the hell was that?!', he thought in shock, a nervous bead of sweat was running down the side of his face and his heartbeat spiked.

Just a moment ago, when focusing on the long-haired man, Naruto briefly saw what appeared to be a giant white-scaled serpent composed of many smaller snakes with long spiky black hair and golden eyes surrounded by dark markings pop up in his mind's eye. This hideous monstrosity had sent him a malicious glare which made the hair on the back of his neck stand up in alarm! 'This aura... so twisted and rotten, never have I sensed an evil of this magnitude before, Gatō was a saint compared to this, it didn't feel human.  _What_  is that thing?'

Sasuke's firm grip on his shoulder interrupted the Uzumaki's train of thought.

"Hey, Naruto, what's the matter?", the Uchiha inquired in a low voice, having picked up on the blonde's apprehension. Hinata was also looking at him worriedly.

In response the blonde turned to face his friends and swiftly performed multiple hand signs in order to quietly inform them about Kusagakure's trickery while keeping the disturbing vision he had to himself as well as asking Hinata to verify his suspicion with her dōjutsu later on, whereupon they both nodded seriously.

Taking a quick glance at her watch Anko decided it was time to proceed "Alright everyone, listen up! As you probably have already guessed the second test will take place in the woods behind me...", she paused and pointed at the forest behind her with the thumb of her right hand. Afterwards, the purple-haired kunoichi reached into her coat, took out a scroll, and unfurled it for everyone to see.

Right on cue, Sasuke briefly flashed his  ** _Sharingan_**  to help him engrave every single detail of the terrain's layout into his memory.

"... Each squad will receive either a  _Ten no Sho (Scroll of Heaven)_  or a  _Chi no Sho (Scroll of Earth)_  and enter the forest through one of the 44 gates at he same time. As you can see, the area is divided by a river with a tower in the center exactly ten kilometers away from your starting point. The goal is simple, bring  _both_  scrolls to the tower. How you acquire a pair is entirely up to you, but you only have 120 hours to accomplish this task..."

"Wait a moment, what are we supposed to eat?!", Chōji questioned out of the blue, getting many incredulous looks from his peers.

'Each time on the rare occasion that fat-ass opens his mouth to speak instead of stuffing food into it he proves to be an idiot!', Naruto thought in outrage. How can this moron call himself a warrior?!

Storing the map away Anko answered him without a shred of sympathy "You are on your own, use your survival skills and prove that you are a competent shinobi...", before addressing everyone again "...During that time frame no squad is allowed to leave the area! To ensure this chūnin teams are going to patrol the perimeter and expel anyone setting a foot outside. Moreover, it's strictly forbidden to open the scrolls until you arrive at the tower. I assure you, if you attempt that you  _will_  fail. In addition, your team must reach the tower together in order to advance. If a squad loses a member the entire unit is automatically disqualified. These are the rules. Make no mistake, this exam involves the possibility of death, some of you are definitely going to die. If you don't have the guts to put your life on the line quit now. Anyone here who wishes to quit, raise your hand, this is your one and only chance."

Not a single hand went up.

" _Excellent_...", she exclaimed gleefully and continued "Now that the formalities are out of the way wait till your unit's name is called and take a scroll from an instructor in that booth over there. Once every squad has received one a chūnin will escort your team to a gate and give you a signal when to enter the forest, good luck."

The genin teams then separated a little to give each other some space. Whenever a squad entered the cabin Hinata activated her kekkei genkai to find out what type of scroll was being handed over to them, the black curtain proving absolutely no obstacle for her x-ray vision, and passed that information on to her comrades. Maito Gai's team was utilizing this strategy too.

Once all scrolls were distributed a chūnin guided each unit to an entrance. As soon as they were given permission to enter Team Seven began searching for a suitable location to set up a hidden camp near the river, moving carefully to avoid detection and old traps while also making sure to cover their tracks. The Uchiha decided that having a safe haven to rest at night as well as stocking up their supplies had the highest priority for now.

* * *

Three blurs were hopping from branch to branch at immense speed, much faster than the average genin could possibly comprehend. Having decided they had travelled far enough the leading figure changed its course and landed in an open area, the other two blurs touching down shortly afterwards a couple of meters behind it.

Raising his left hand to grasp the edge of the straw hat he was wearing the figure announced "Enough with this charade.", and tossed it aside nonchalantly.

_Poof_

Whereupon a large cloud of smoke filled the scenery behind him, indicating that his subordinates have dispelled their transformation technique. The man then undid the powerful jutsu, which he had used to disguise his pale face ever since they annihilated an unsuspecting squad from Kusagakure and got rid of their remains afterwards, by swiping his hand across his visage before turning around to face his loyal servants with a wicked grin, revealing his true identity.

It was none other than  _Orochimaru of the Sannin_  himself, wielder of the fabled  _Kusanagi no Tsurugi (Grass-Mowing Sword)_  and former student of the  _The Professor_ , Hiruzen Sarutobi. The enormous bounty of 144 million ryō on his head made him one of the most wanted shinobi in the entire world!

The mad scientist now focused his gaze on the kneeling members of the  _Sound Four_  before him, a young team of five cursed-seal empowered ninja who served him faithfully as a special force unit and bodyguards. All of them had their heads lowered in respect.

"What is our next assignment, Orochimaru-sama?", asked Kidōmaru, the unit's tactician as well as commanding officer in Kimimaro's absence. He was a crafty dark-skinned teen with black hair and two extra pairs of arms attached to him.

"From here on we are going to split up. Jirōbō-kun, ...", upon being mentioned said Oto-nin lifted his head to meet his master's golden eyes "... you will come with me. The rest of you will head to the evacuation zone and wait for my arrival. I want you to remain unnoticed, which means no stops to  _play games_  along the way, do I make myself clear?"

"Understood", the three addressed members of the Sound Four chorused obediently, albeit a bit reluctantly.

Most displeased about the last part, however, was Tayuya, a girl with long, untamed, dark pink hair that was partially obscured by a black hat, who was glaring at Jirōbō from the corner of her eye. 'Not fair! Why the fuck does fat-ass get all the fun for himself?!', she pondered in anger and disappointment, but dared not to utter a single word of protest.

Her musings were interrupted by her master biting his right thumb and placing the same hand on the ground, causing the pinkette to glance forward.

**_"Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!"_ **

_Poof_

Once the ensuing smoke had settled a building-sized brown snake towered over them, carrying its summoner on top of its head.

Taking the hint, the youngsters stood up and bid each other farewell.

Sakon and his twin brother, Ukon, with whom he shared a body, were the first to leave, both departing with a simultaneous "Take care."

Followed by Kidōmaru, who gave him a small grin and a three-handed wave "Good hunting, pal."

Meeting the teen's orange eyes Tayuya spoke after a brief pause "Don't die, fatso." in a much softer tone than usual before going after the others.

Rare moments of camaraderie like these made Jirōbō's lips curl up into a smile as he recalled all the fond memories he shared with his teammates, many of those taking place in taverns or around the campfire when they celebrated successfully completed missions, laughing and drinking together, and the incredibly gifted Tayuya would often play a fitting tune with her flute 'Don't worry about me, I may be the weakest out of us but Orochimaru-sama has blessed me with the same power. I will return safe and sound, and we will create more memories together.'

Before he was taken prisoner at the age of twelve and forced to fight for his life in a battle royal, where the five of them emerged victorious, the orange-haired boy had no one that cared about him. He was on his own, a miserable orphan among many others roaming the slums, whose death from starvation or thirst would have gone completely unnoticed, only trying to survive a day longer in this cruel world. At least now some people would actually mourn his death, if only for a short while before they would move on with lives. Orochimaru has given him a place he could call home, incomparable strength, a position of great respect and influence, and most importantly,  _a family_. For all that Jirōbō was eternally grateful to the man, despite being fully aware that he was nothing more than a pawn in his eyes.

Not wanting to test to test his master's patience he quickly joined him with a leap onto the snake's head.

' _Kukukuku_  Let's see if there's a small grain of truth to the rumors about your prodigious students, Hatake-kun...', Orochimaru thought in excitement as his summon began to slither deeper into the woods, letting his tongue slip out of his mouth to lick his lips, an insane look forming in his eyes '... I can't wait to find out!'

* * *

**Timeskip: 3 hours**

* * *

In the late afternoon three figures wearing Otogakure forehead protectors were marching through the sinister forest, heading straight towards the spot where they hid their original  _Earth Scroll_ , looking battle-worn.

"I can't believe these bastards pushed us so far.", Zaku commented, reflecting on their coincidental encounter with a team from Amegakure not long ago.

The only female member of their squad next to him nodded in agreement "I will never underestimate ninja from this village again. That  ** _Senbon Shower_**  attack almost killed me, but it was worth the trouble. We now have a  _Heaven Scroll_  in our possession."

Dosu, who was taking the lead, spun around and narrowed his lone eye at them. Enemies nearby could be investigating the noise of their recent skirmish, they weren't out of danger just yet!

"Be quiet! Your chatter might attract..."

_Thud_

Before he could even finish the sentence a kunai with a flaming explosive tag attached to it lodged itself into the ground between them!

**'Ambush!'** , the Sound-nin realized collectively and scattered to dodge the impending explosion.

_Boom_

Kin had jumped with all her might and landed safely on a thick branch where she could provide ranged support from above, holding three senbon needles tightly between the fingers of her left hand. Suddenly, the girl detected a tall boy with bushy brown hair and sunglasses approaching her at great speed from the right, attempting to throw a punch at her face!

Narrowly avoiding the blow she plunged the sharp projectiles deep into her foe's stomach.

The kunoichi chuckled darkly "Nice try...", but her black orbs widened in surprise when instead of blood she unexpectedly felt many small  _things_  crawling up her left hand. Moreover, the boy started to dissolve into... countless tiny bugs!

It was a  ** _Mushi Bunshin (Insect Clone)_**.

In no time the hungry swarm of kikaichū was upon her, feeding on the girl's chakra! All she could do was flail around wildly and scream, causing her to lose balance and fall down about ten meters.

Her shriek caught Zaku's attention. Turning his head towards the direction it originated from he saw her body hit the ground and be completely engulfed by a swarm of insects immediately afterwards, but paid it no mind. She was obviously down for the count, subsequently assisting Dosu had precedence, whom a guy with sunglasses kept at a safe distance, thus not allowing him to take advantage of his main weapon, the  _Melody Arm_.

However, before he could move from his position to create an opening for his squad leader two identical-looking guys in fur-lined coats came rushing at him on all fours, attacking him from two opposite directions!

Crossing his forearms in front of him Zaku readied himself to counter their simultaneous assault.

Both assailants started to rotate in mid-air fast enough to appear as miniature tornados to the untrained eye.

_**"Gatsūga (Fang Passing Fang)!"** _

Having gathered enough chakra Zaku exclaimed "Take that, you scum,  ** _Zankūha (Decapitating Airwaves)_**!", and stretched his arms out, expelling a massive amount of air from the tubes implanted into them through the palms of his hands.

Upon contact the sheer power of these blasts was enough to cancel the duo's technique and dispel the  _ **Jūjin Bunshin (Beast Human Clone)**_. Kiba yelled out in pain while Akamaru released a pained whimper as they were being hurled backwards a good distance, skidding across ground.

Seeing a golden opportunity to kill the Inuzuka Zaku aimed  _both_  of his palms at him, not considering the small wounded dog a possible threat. Grinning maliciously, he declared "You're finished."

'N-No, this is the end!', Kiba mused in fear, knowing he wouldn't be able to pick himself up in time to move out of the way.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, through the use of the  _ **Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)**_  Sakura appeared in front of her downed comrade in a white and pink flash, her hands already forming a snake seal to execute another jutsu.

_**"Zankūkyokuha (Extreme Decapitating Airwaves)!"**_ , shouted the Oto-nin, unleashing an enormous gust of wind comparable to the destructive force of a hurricane!

Slamming her palms onto the ground Sakura called out  _ **"Doton: Dojouheki (Earth Release: Rock Shelter)!"**_

A chakra-infused earth barrier rose up from the soil in the nick of time to shield them, taking the brunt of Zaku's ultimate technique head on.

The reinforced construct was extremely sturdy, capable of withstanding multiple explosive tags with only minor damage, hence often used to provide cover for the troops on the frontlines, but the violent winds reduced it to dust in merely five seconds!

After maintaining that onslaught for a few more seconds Zaku was panting heavily from exertion. Witnessing the path of destruction before him brought a satisfied smirk to the boy's face and he began to snicker 'Two down, one to go.'

Confident of victory, the Oto-nin failed to notice a crack opening on the ground's surface behind him.

Only a moment later Sakura came bursting out of it! Acting quickly she stabbed the unprepared boy in the neck with a syringe, injecting a strong sedative into his body that made him lose consciousness and collapse to the floor. By utilizing the  _ **Moguragakure no Jutsu (Hiding Like a Mole Technique)**_  the pinkette was able to conceal herself along with her teammate under the ground using the earth barrier as cover and get behind their unsuspecting enemy to launch a surprise attack.

The Inuzuka crawled out of the hole next.

"Kiba, go check on Akamaru, I will help Shino fight the other guy.", Sakura ordered, whereupon he nodded and immediately ran over to the puppy's beaten form.

To locate the bug-user as well as the one enemy left Sakura enhanced her senses with chakra 'Up there!'

Glancing at the tree crowns the pinkette saw a banged up Shino getting overwhelmed surprisingly easy by the remaining Oto-nin and knocked off the branch they were fighting on.

Wasting no time, Sakura leaped upwards and caught her falling teammate in mid-air. Once she landed on her feet the girl looked down at the Aburame in her arms. He appeared disoriented, groaned, and was bleeding from his left ear. His sunglasses were gone as well.

"Careful... his gauntlet... s-sound.", Shino stammered, hoping she would understand. In the course of the battle he tried to place a female kikaichū on his adversary like his father taught him to do against stronger opponents, though, this proven strategy backfired against this particular foe.

Mulling his words over the smart girl caught on, and gently placed him on the floor "Don't worry, Shino-kun, I will handle things from here."

Jumping down Dosu tilted his head in a curious manner "Is that so? What makes you think you will do any better against me than that bug-freak, pinky?"

At the insult of her comrade Sakura's green orbs turned hard as steel. When they established eye-contact Dosu felt chills running down his spine, but he quickly composed himself, having full trust in the superiority of his trump card.

Pulling out a couple of shuriken in the blink of an eye the kunoichi lunged straight at him.

'A direct assault? Foolish girl.', Dosu thought as he casually deflected the projectiles she tossed at his head with his gauntlet, making them bounce off harmlessly. However, that defensive maneuver had blocked his view for a brief moment.

An instant later Sakura was close enough to aim a punch at his head 'How predictable, these idiots lost to such trash?', Dosu wondered in disbelief, evaded her fist, and countered with a punch of his own, which the girl parried with her left forearm, causing him to smirk wickedly behind his bandages as he was about to activate his  _Melody Arm_  in order to end this farce 'All too easy.'

_Poof_

The girl unexpectedly exploded in a puff of smoke. In her place was now a log covered in already burning explosive tags, a clear sign that they were about to detonate!

His lone eye widened in surprise 'Oh Shit!'

_Boom_

Unable to dodge the Oto-nin got engulfed by the blast. He was sent sailing through the air and crashing into a tree trunk. Lastly, his smouldering body dropped face first to the ground, unmoving.

During the small window of opportunity when his view was obstructed Sakura had swiftly performed the single hand sign she needed for a  _ **Kawarimi (Body Replacement)**_. Furthermore, thanks to her remarkable chakra control the pinkette was able to arm the explosives remotely at the same time, something even an experienced chūnin would struggle to accomplish.

Leaving a nearby bush Sakura walked up to Dosu's body, checking for a pulse and finding none. He was dead.

'Damn it!', she thought in frustration while biting her bottom lip, a habit Sakura picked up from her sensei.

This wasn't her first kill and neither will it be the last one. Sakura was well aware of that fact. The kunoichi was no longer as naive as she had been during her academy days. Her team's struggle for survival in Takigakure had opened her eyes to the harsh reality of being a ninja when she was forced to take two lives in order to protect her dear friends as well as their client. It was a truly horrible experience that made her loathe unnecessary violence and senseless killing. That's why she had used a sedative to incapacitate Zaku instead of poisoning him since this was merely a competition for the rank of chūnin, not war, there was already enough bad blood between the shinobi villages, so much pointless bloodshed, however, in this case the girl saw no other way but to use lethal force. This dangerous foe needed to be dealt with quickly or else he would have shown them no mercy.

Searching the corpse Sakura found the earlier mentioned  _Heaven Scroll_  and stored it away. Luckily it was still intact, only minor damage on the cover, which meant they now had a complete set.

The kunoichi's sensitive ears picked up the sound of footsteps approaching her from the left.

"Sakura, you okay?", Kiba asked softly in genuine concern for his teammate, holding Akamaru protectively in his arms. He knew how much taking a life still burdened the kind girl.

Picking herself up she exhaled deeply and answered after a moment of silence "I will manage, Kiba-kun.", before turning to the left and petting the puppy's head "What about Akamaru?"

"Nothing too serious from what I can tell, he should make a quick recovery, but just to be sure you should take a look as well."

Nodding in agreement the pinkette held out her gloved hands over the dog's torso and closed her eyes in concentration. A couple of seconds passed without anything happening, beads of sweat were forming on her forehead. Finally, after a few more uneventful moments her hands were surrounded by an enchanting green glow upon which Sakura's frown lessened a bit and she opened her eyes again, ready to perform a basic diagnostic jutsu to assess the damage dealt to the Inuzuka's partner. At this point in time, the kunoichi was limited to only such rudimentary medical jutsu due to being far too inexperienced in that field. Besides, any attempt to heal an animal let alone a human without professional supervision would actually do more harm than good at her current stage.

Completing her examination Sakura agreed with the Inuzuka's assessment, smiling warmly in relief "You are correct. Some rest along with a good meal and Akamaru will be back to peak condition no time."

Afterwards both looked over to Shino's last known position to discover that the tall boy was already back on his feet and had replaced his glasses. He was communicating with a special breed of ladybug resting on his outstretched index finger, which had returned to report, via a secret Aburame technique, viewing what it had recorded in his mind's eye.

Once he finished examining the insect's transmission Shino appeared to be on high alert.

Snapping his head towards his teammates he urged "We  _must_  hurry to the tower. Why, you ask? Because there are  _far_  more dangerous enemies lurking in these woods than the ones we just fought and we have accomplished our task already. Besides, our combat strength is severely hampered, I won't be able to fight well for a while due to the after-effect of that sound weapon and Kiba-san's jutsu aren't nearly as effective without Akamaru since he relies heavily on collaboration techniques."

The other two members of Squad Eight agreed with that logic and gave serious nod of their heads in response. Also, whatever information caused the Aburame to become so alarmed meant they could run into serious trouble if they don't depart immediately.

"You are right, let's go.", Sakura exclaimed and they vanished together into the tree crowns in a blur. As they were moving towards their destination the pinkette couldn't help but worry about the other six rookies. After all, Gaara was still on the loose somewhere in this forest and who knows what else 'All of you... please be safe.'

* * *

**Earlier**

* * *

'Wha... What happened?!', Masato wondered to himself in sheer horror the moment he regained consciousness and laid eyes upon the carnage before him, staring disbelievingly at the remains of his fellow Konoha genin scattered across the clearing.

Numerous kunai and shuriken littered the battlefield and blood was splattered all over the place. Two of his comrades got cleaved in half, most likely by the enormous blood-stained shuriken embedded into a massive tree trunk, nine more were shot through the head with arrows or died from having their limbs or heads cut off, including his crush since childhood, whose severed head was turned towards him, her violet orbs wide with terror, lips parted in a silent scream. It must have been a one-sided massacre!

Initial shock and sorrow quickly transformed into pure unadulterated rage at the ones responsible for this slaughter, however, the sixteen-year-old genin found himself unable to scream or vent out his anger due to being gagged and firmly bound to a post by ropes. He was a young man of average height and build with messy black hair, tan skin, and brown eyes, dressed in Konoha's standard long-sleeved navy blue shinobi outfit without a vest, and his blue forehead protector was tied around his forehead.

The last thing the former  _Rookie of the Year_  and charismatic leader remembered was instructing his teamates as well as the three Konoha units they had allied themselves with when a sharp pain in the back of his neck made him pass out. From one moment to the next his life has turned into a hellish nightmare!

'Dammit! How could things turn out this way? I swear, I will kill the bastards responsible for this and if it's the last thing I...', Masato's vengeful thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a complaining voice.

"Katsuo-taichō, how much more time must we waste for this prick to wake up? The corpses are already starting to stink for crying out loud!"

It successfully captured his full attention and Masato turned his head to the left in order to glare venomously at its source, a fairly short effeminate teenage boy having slicked back blond hair and pupil-less green eyes sitting on a log, who was twirling a kunai nonchalantly around his right index finger to pass the time. His outfit consisted of the customary red uniform worn under a brown flak jacket by the ninja of Iwagakure which had only one sleeve on the left side and a lapel over the right leg. Moreover, the blonde had his headband tied over his forehead.

Leaning against a tree behind the boy was a much taller and far more intimidating figure dressed in a similar attire. It was a very muscular bald man with broad shoulders, tan skin, and obsidian eyes. He wore his forehead protector around his right arm and carried a mastercrafted bow along with a quiver filled to the brim with different kinds of arrows strapped to his back. The man's most noticeable trait, however, was the large bullseye tattoo etched onto his forehead. He had a displeased expression plastered over his face and his arms were folded across his chest.

"Stop whining, Daisuke...", answered the Iwa shinobi with shaggy brown hair and a scarlet forehead protector around his waist standing near the two chūnin "...We will wait for as long as I see fit, you should follow Takeshi's example, he's not complaining. Besides, a dead enemy always smells good."

Daisuke only grumbled in response. Being the son of a  _Jōnin Hanchō (Jōnin Commander)_  the blonde was not used to someone talking down to him, but considering his temporary captain outranked even his father for belonging to an organization that takes its orders directly from the Tsuchikage made him bite back any retort. No to mention he saw this guy in action, literally tearing apart so many foes with little effort and not a single scratch on him. That was a dangerous man not to be trifled with.

Their squad leader then averted his eyes from Daisuke to the post where they had bound their prisoner and he met Masato's hateful gaze, which caused a sadistic smile to spread across his face upon seeing the teen's anguish and rage boiling in those brown orbs "Our guest of honor is finally awake, I see,  _splendid_."

Walking up to him the commander stopped right in front of the fuming genin and ripped off the tape covering his mouth in one swift motion, making him hiss in discomfort.

"Enjoying the view?", Katsuo asked innocently.

That taunt immediately showed the desired effect. Masato squirmed violently and started ranting  **"You will pay for that, you swine!** **Good luck digging up the entire forest, because n** **o matter what you do to me, I won't reveal the location of our scrolls to you** **whoresons** **!** **"**

By the end of his angry outburst the genin was trying to catch his breath. His huffing was the only sound in the silence that followed until it was broken by the Iwa-nin snickering, which grew steadily in volume.

"What's so funny?!"

When his laughter died down Katsuo spoke "The scrolls,  _really_? Are you that naive? You honestly believe this is about the stupid exams?", seeing the confusion written over Masato's face he decided to enlighten him, scratching his chin "... Well, I suppose I can let you know before you breathe your last breath. You see,  _officially_ , we were sent here to exterminate as many of you Konoha genin as possible, if given the chance, or at the very least kill priority targets by  _accident_. Think about it, it's not that complicated, what better opportunity to get rid of the inexperienced heirs to the prestigious Yamanaka, Akimichi, Nara, Aburame, Inuzuka, Hyūga, and even the Uchiha clan than those exams, ideally in one swell swoop, crippling your pathetic village for years, not to mention the world-wide humiliation! Killing more of you filth incidentally is just a bonus. I'm surprised the fake documents listing us as average genin even passed your village's inspection. Konoha's security has gotten so lax over the years it's comical!"

Masato was gaping towards the end of the man's explanation. Clenching his teeth in anger he growled "You  _cowards_ , has Iwa sunken this low?!"

The Iwa-nin let out a mocking chuckle in response " _Low_? Not really, it's called seizing the right opportunity to deal a painful blow to your enemy. Regarding the  _unofficial_  part of this mission. Well it's more of a personal matter I wish to settle..."

Daisuke and Takeshi both raised an eyebrow in curiosity at the last part, watching the exchange with interest.

Wholly unexpectedly, Katsuo's cheerful demeanor vanished entirely, his mouth formed a thin line and everything grew deadly quiet around them. Taking out a kunai from his pouch into his right hand he leaned closer to the genin's ear, whispering "I'm also here to avenge my father..."

And without warning he plunged the sharp knife into Masato's ribcage, making him cough up a glob of blood that trickled down his chin.

"He died defending the Kannabi Bridge in Kusagakure fourteen years ago, most likely another victim of your beloved  _Yellow Flash_...", he started to twist the knife after mentioning the deceased Hokage's moniker, resulting in the helpless genin to howl in pain "Since then I have dedicated my life solely to revenge against Konohagakure and this assignment was the opportunity I have been waiting for this whole time! I mean, what better way to get back at Konoha than butchering its future generation that your precious Yondaime had sacrificed himself to protected!"

Yanking out the blade while taking a step back the Iwa-nin inquired joyfully "It's poetic, don't you agree?!"

"You insane motherfucker!", screamed his wounded victim.

Releasing an evil chuckle Katsuo continued "I won't allow even one of you tree-huggers to leave this forest alive, I'm gonna bury you all under its roots! As for you, my friend...", he paused in order to cut the ropes binding his prisoner before jumping backwards.

As a consequence the confused genin fell forward, but managed to break his fall and clutched his injured side.

_Thud_

The bloodied projectile landed directly in front of him and the Iwa-nin resumed his speech, entering a battle stance, unarmed at that "...So long as you draw breath I will have you entertain me! Come, avenge your fallen comrades!"

Fighting through the pain, Masato took the knife and straightened himself. Eyes shining with determination the teen released a battle cry as he summoned every ounce of his strength and dashed at his opponent with as much speed as his body could muster, moving at impressive mid chūnin level speed.

Katsuo was skillfully weaving in and out of the quick slashes aimed at him, literally dancing around them, and handily doded the occasional kick or elbow strike the adept raven-haired genin would deliver every now and then. He evidently wasn't a former  _Rookie of the Year_  for nothing. Still, to him, this was child's play. His foe might as well be moving in slow-motion.

As part of DIAMOND since early childhood, a fanatic guild of elite assassins under the Tsuchikage's direct command, Ōnoki's answer to Konoha's ROOT program, he was granted access to only the best taijutsu teachers and sparring partners. All of its members were specialists in all forms of armed and unarmed combat, having undergone relentless mental and physical conditioning, possessing knowledge of the human body on par with that of a Hunter-nin from Kirigakure.

What gave them the edge over most enemies, however, wasn't simply their training or fanaticism alone, more so it was that in conjunction with the special drug they had to consume monthly, a medicine far superior to a common soldier pill, boosting their strength, speed, reflexes, healing factor, and endurance to new levels as well as increasing their resistance to poison. The only downside to it was a reduced lifespan, dependence, and sterility, a price Katsuo was gladly willing to pay in exchange for power.

Growing bored of his adversary's pathetic attempts to kill him, Katsuo triggered the mechanism in his right arm guard that extended the retractable blade hidden within it. After deflecting a couple of attacks he swung his right arm at Masato's head, which the raven-haired genin barely managed to parry in time by raising his kunai to intercept the slash. Taking advantage of that opening, the Iwa shinobi landed a powerful uppercut to the genin's chin using his free hand. The raw force behind that punch was enough to fracture Masato's jaw, lift him off the the ground, and cause blood to spew out of his mouth. While his enemy was still in mid-air, Katsuo delivered a devastating kick to the genin's stomach, whose eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets! The impact knocked all the wind out of Masato and sent him flying backwards a good distance, making him also let go of the only weapon on his body in the process.

The assassin then walked up to his defenseless enemy, who groaned in pain, scowling down at him "How disappointing, I was hoping you would put up a better struggle...", raising his foot he stomped hard onto the stab wound he had inflicted with the kunai, causing his downed enemy to yell in sheer agony "...Now then, want to pick which limb I take first or shall I surprise you?"

_Whoosh_

Masato's cries died down abruptly and silence reigned over the clearing again. The genin was killed by an arrow shot through his throat.

Following its trajectory Katsuo fixed the culprit in a cold stare, asking "What is the meaning of this, Takeshi-san?"

"Yeah, what the hell, Takeshi, it was just getting good!", Daisuke threw in, clearly upset.

The tattooed chūnin just shrugged and retorted "All that screaming was beginning to hurt my ears, taichō."

The bald man was lying, it was actually a gesture of mercy. He simply couldn't bare watching this lunatic torture the teen anymore. Their objective was clear, but this sadistic psychopath was taking things too far. Furthermore, if it wouldn't ruin his shinobi career he would have smacked the little blond shithead for that comment.

"Trying to be clever, eh? I strongly advise you don't get in the way of my revenge again, after all, it's easy to get lost in this forest."

Takeshi glowered right back at him "Is that a threat?"

"No, that's a fact. Anyhow, back to the matter at hand, since you spoiled my fun it's time to track down the next targets.", Katsuo ordered and the tension lessened a little. Moreover, he couldn't shake off the feeling that someone had been watching them.

Little did he know that the small ladybug flying off into the distance recorded all that happened here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case someone didn't catch all the hints I threw in Katsuo is the son of Kakkō, the guy Kakashi and Obito teamed up against to rescue Rin during Kakashi Gaiden.
> 
> Naruto with a Doriki of 510 and all the training he did is "merely" around Sasuke's level when he first appeared in Shippūden? That's weak.
> 
> Wrong, everyone who thinks along those lines should watch/read that part again (episode 52/chapter 307-309), just look at the feats. Sasuke was easily capable of blitzing Naruto and Sakura, granted Naruto was fatigued, but still. Only Sai and Yamato, two seasoned Root/ANBU, saw him move and both were really impressed by his speed. Together they could barely fend Sasuke off. Taking all that into consideration this Naruto is pretty damn powerful for his age.
> 
> Can Armament Haki punch through a jinchuriki's chakra shroud?
> 
> Well, from what we know I think not. Though, Haki would prevent the user from getting burned. That's a huge advantage along with the extra power behind the punch.
> 
> What are the Doriki levels of Naruto's targets, Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and Tsunade? What about Orochimaru and the Akatsuki? What are their Doriki levels?
> 
> A Doriki number essentially just measures someone's physical power, not shinobi skill, hence giving them one is kind of pointless to assess their combat prowess. Take Sasori or Konan as an example, their number would be quite low even though they are really strong.
> 
> Will Kurama still be able to boost Naruto's progress in Rokushiki now that the seal has been closed?
> 
> Nope, Naruto will simply have to train harder than ever before to achieve the same results.


End file.
